Brewing Indecision
by Izzy Nava
Summary: Bella Swan is a midwife, she helps people and villages in need, distracting her from her past. Edward Cullen is an FBI agent, who is working on a case in somewhere in the Amazonian woods, he somehow finds out she has a connection with the tribe that live there in the Amazon woods, ask for her help. When Bella's life is suddenly put in jeopardy, what will Edward do to keep her safe?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I don't own twilight or its characters, S. Meyer does. Any new characters and the plot line are mine.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

_**Summary: **_Bella Swan is a midwife, she lives in a mountains helping people and villages in need.

Edward Cullen is an FBI agent, is working on a case in somewhere in the Amazonian woods.

Bella's parents were murdered in a robbery gone wrong. Both were Pathologist and archaeologist.

Edward somehow finds out she has a connection with the tribe that live there in Amazonian forest and asks her for her help.

When they come back to the states they are suddenly being hunted down by the mole within the bureau.

When Bella's life is suddenly put in jeopardy, what will Edward do to keep her safe?

_Bella's POV:_

_Clearwilde, Montana_

Four days. Three hours and forty-five minutes that since I've last gotten sleep.

Why?

Well, there's a perfect explanation. See, I'm a midwife, I have been for the last four years.

Now that doesn't seem like much but it is when you graduate high school at sixteen and continue to study for the next eight years of your life.

I had just finished helping Jenay through her first delivery when I was called John called frantically saying his wife, Marnie, had gone into labor.

Marnie had been thirty-four weeks pregnant. When I arrived I quickly did a vital check on both mother and child.

Both seemed to be doing great.

As time progressed though Nettie, my assistant, and I quickly discovered that the baby had his or her arms above her head, if we didn't their position, there was a good chance the baby's shoulder would break as it was born.

It took me a while, but I managed to fix the arm back in position, with just moments to spare. Despite the brief panic the room felt.

Both mother and child are in perfect condition, a little worse for wear but have a clean bill of health.

Marnie made sure to check that her son, Gavin had ten fingers and ten toes before she let me clean him up and wrap him in a thick wool blanket.

Once I assured the husband and the rest of the family that they would be alright, and that all they needed was some rest and a good meal, I walked out of their residence and out towards my old VW bus and began my length drive home.

I only stopped to put gas in my baby, and to buy a small snack, and coffee before heading home.

Once on the road I could help let my mind wonder to my parents. Thus came all the memories of their deaths and everything else.

I had lived by myself since I was sixteen. I had been left in the care of my dad's sister, Linda since I was eight.

My parents were both killed in an accident during an expedition in South America, in the Amazonian woods. We were living there with a local Archuagan tribe.

I was born here, in Montana. Since my mom and dad were an archaeologist and a pathologist and had been on a long expedition before I was conceived my parents decided that it would be fine for me to go with them.

I grew up in the local tribe. Learn customs, and playing with their children as we all grew up.

It was just after I hit four that my parents decided that it was time to head back to the United States. Talk about hard adjustments.

I hardly ever let my mind roam for that reason. Then the memories that reside in my mind don't cease.

Aunt Linda had passed away just a year ago from complications to leukemia. It was called Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. Her body began attacking and destroying her red blood cells. It happened so abruptly, that I still couldn't believe my beloved aunt was gone.

It wasn't the same without her, the house felt lonelier, and colder without her. It made me miss both her and my parents so much.

So I threw myself into my work.

This was the first time in months that I was able to be home for more than five minutes, and it showed.

When I finally do pull out of the three floor, large, ranch-style house, my heart squeezes again as I see the driveway. Even though her glossy black pickup truck is there, my heart knows my aunt isn't there to greet me.

I was now alone in the world.

I quickly parked my bus next to the pickup and grab my bag and key before heading inside, to avoid the cool morning air.

I quickly step out of my shoes, dropping my bag by the door, and heading into the kitchen to brew myself a cup of fresh Brazilian coffee. My favorite.

I let the coffee brew and head up the stairs to my room to take a much-needed shower. I quickly gather my pair of sweats, a white tank top, a fresh pair of cotton undies, and a thick pair of wool socks.

As I step into the shower, I can feel my body relax under the hot steaming water. I allow myself to relax as I slowly begin to scrub away all the dirty and grim from my body with a new eucalyptus body wash one of my friends gifted me a week ago. Then I proceeded to wash out my hair with my herbal essences strawberry shampoo and conditioner.

I feel more relaxed as I get out, quickly drying myself before quickly getting dressed, and combing out and braiding my hair away from my the time I am finished with the process, I am more relaxed than I have been in weeks.

When I am done I hang my towel to dry and throw all of my dirty clothes into the hamper of dirty clothes. Throwing on a zip-up sweater before slowly making my way back down the stairs.

As I reach the kitchen and head towards the refrigerator and rummage through to find something to eat before heading to bed.

Right in the middle shelf is a plate of cold cuts with a note on top.

_Bella, _

_I came to stock up the fridge for you, and to help Mr. Cope with the gardening. I hope these snacks find you well._

_~ Shelly B. Cope._

I smile at her thoughtfulness.

Shelly and Harold Cope, were once friends with my parents and Aunt Linda. They had been helping me take care of the house since my aunt got sick.

I've offered to pay them, but have been refused many times. Now, every time I come home after days of being away, I find notes or a cooked meal in the fridge waiting for me.

It made me so grateful towards them.

Truth is I only had the Copes and a few friends I have made since moving here, and even though I tried pushing them all away just after my Aunt Linda passed away, but Mrs. Cope wouldn't allow such a thing to happen, even when I yelled and screamed at her. She simply held me tightly, and let me cry myself out.

Before I realized it, I had aimlessly made myself a cold cut sandwich. Staring at it made my stomach rumble in ravenous hunger. It was gone before I realized I was even hungry.

I then proceeded to quickly drain the rest of the glass of orange juice before I got up to wash my dishes and dry them before placing them back in their respective places.

The events of the last three days finally weighed on me as I walked down the hall and headed into one of the guest rooms.

The last thing I remember is climbing into bed before pulling the covers over my head.


	2. Chapter 2

_Edward's POV:_

_Washington, D.C._

_'Coffee. Needed coffee._' I thought, tiredly, as I rummaged through my bare cabinets.

Damn. I was out again. How the hell do I keep running out of coffee if I am hardly ever here?

I'd been out for the past three weeks staking out a series of bank robberies, the rising drug sales, and a large number of missing people all within three different counties. The asshole that was responsible for all of these things trying to involve himself in human trafficking was hiding in the basement of his parents' house.

Now, eight hour of interrogation, and paperwork I got to go home, to my one-bedroom condo.

Too tired to look at my dry cleaned clothes, and blankets, I quickly pull the thick plush blanket off of the pile on the couch, grab a pillow from the closet and head towards the bedroom.

I notice the strewn pile of clothes I left on the ground are no longer there.

I ignored the fact that my stomach was rumbling, stepped out of my clothes, throwing the pillow onto the bed before dropping onto the bed and pulling the blanket onto myself.

I woke up sometime later to discover, I had apparently slept most of the day away, and that the landline and my cell phone where both ringing like crazy.

It took me a moment to gain my bearings before I flopped out of bed and went towards the kitchen.

The shrill ringing of both phones made my head begin to ache.

"Alright! I heard you..." I muttered angrily as picked up the stupid contration.

"Cullen here." I answered clearing my throat once, as it was still thick with sleep.

"Cullen! Where the hell have you been? I've been searching for you for the last fifteen hours." My boss, Aro, said.

I sighed, as my back popped. "I'm at my apartment, I told McCarthy and Whitlock to tell you I was coming home."

I could hear the annoyance in the responding grunt, muttering an irritating "Oh" right after.

"What happened? Is there something wrong?" I wondered as I opened my refrigerator.

Only to find it bare beside the essentials. Milk, eggs, ham, cheese, and some tomatoes and romaine lettuce.

Well, at least I had food in the house.

"Yes, we had a complication with the case in the Amazonian forest, Clearwater is missing. So, is his partner Logan Benson. I know you asked for some time off but…you're the only one I trust with this type of case… Can you come down to the office, we need to speak." He finally said

Seth Clearwater is one of my best friends along with Jasper Whitlock, Emmett McCarthy, and Ben Cheney. We've always risked our necks for one another, and this time wasn't about to be different.

"Well?" I heard Aro ask again.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes." I say, slamming the phone on the kitchen counter before I took off into the bedroom for a quick shower and for a change of clothes.

As I drive through the semi-busy streets of D.C, my head is trying to figure out possible scenarios that Seth could be in, but without knowing what the situation and his state, the only thing I was doing was psych myself out.

Once I arrived at the familiar J. Edgar Hoover building I only stopped to grab a quick muffin and coffee before heading inside to speak with Aro Volturi.

As I drove closer and closer, I could feel my anxiety rise as I remembered how weird Seth had been acting. He started skipping out on game days and Saturdays. It wasn't like him to skip out on food. Especially free food.

I also couldn't fathom not ever seeing him again, we had all gone through training and completed it within the same group.

If anything happened to him, I knew this, I wouldn't rest until I took down whomever is responsible for it.

Now, to find out what happened to my good friend, Seth Clearwater.

I just hoped for the life of me that the situation wasn't as bad as I feared.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/n:This an E/B pairing. If you don't like this story, move on. Stop using the guest reviews as a way to bitch at me, I won't care and your review will be erased as soon as it get to me. **_

_**To the others, thank you for following, and reviews. Enjoy.**_

_Bella's POV:_

I woke up the next morning, to the entire house submerged in the early morning sun.

The shrill ringing of the landline down in the kitchen echoing off in the house.

I quickly threw the blanket off, shivering slightly as my body adjusted to the sudden cool temperature of the room, or house, I walked out of the room.

As I reached the kitchen I quickly picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Is a Miss. Isabella Swan there?" A smooth masculine voice answered back on the other end.

'Of course, I am. Who else would live here? Dorthy Jepkins?' I thought, rolling my eyes.

"Yes, this is she speaking. How may I help you?" I asked as I pulled out one of the dinners I prepared last week and froze, before placing it in the microwave to defrost.

"This is Edward Cullen, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation…" he said.

FBI? What did _they_ want?

"Ah-huh…" I mumble, as I slipped my food out of the microwave.

"I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me?" He finally asked, after a few moments of awkward silence.

"It depends on the questions." I replied, stoically.

The suddenly tightening in my stomach, causing my nerves to shoot up. What was this call pertaining to?

"Yes, well… we have reason to believe you know the location of the Archugan tribe residence within the Amazonian wilderness." He said.

I do. Like the back of my hand. But I wasn't about to reveal this bit of information to him.

"That wasn't a question." I point out, as I place my food on the breakfast nook.

"We need your help." He finally whispered.

"I can't help you." I replied, honestly.

Truth be told, I hadn't been there since my parents died. If I was being honest with myself I didn't know if I was ready to go there again.

If ever.

"How do you know you can't if you don't even know what kind of help we need from you?" He asked, annoyed.

Ah, the general 'we' welp, it was generally an entire team that usually did these kinds of jobs.

"My guess is that you need some sort of guide to lead you through the wilderness, or you are looking for something in that particular area and only a member of said tribe has access to." I replied, enjoying his annoyance.

His grumbling response confirmed my suspicion, along with a swear before he sighed.

"Be honest with me." I replied, calmly.

I had a feeling that what he was about to say was going to cause problems for me. It caused me to begin hating him, despite the fact of not knowing him entirely, or personally.

"There was a crash near the area of the tribe, two agents are missing, we looked through our list of the top archaeologists and pathologists. Your parents were in there. It says here you are their only child. " He says.

The air freezes in my lungs as I hear him casually mention my parents. "My parents are dead." I stated, once again stoically.

"Oh… I— Sorry for your loss. I didn't mean to…" he stuttered.

"It's fine. It happened long ago… Can you please just get to the point?" I asked, looking down at my forgotten before me.

"Sure. What I wanted to ask you, before you interrupted me...was if you would please guide me to the tribe, possibly, translate for me?" He asked.

"How can _I_ help _you_? I'm not a pathologist or archaeologist, I'm a midwife." I argue, confused.

"You have knowledge of their customs, the land, and the general area." He responds, calmly.

I knew it. Now my feelings were justified.

"I'll have to get back to you." I reply before ending the call.

I sat there, numbly, staring at my food as it cooled down.

Eventually, I was brought out of my trance by a sharp knock on the door, forcing me to go open it.

"Bella, oh! I'm so glad you're home today! Have you eaten?" Mrs. Cope asks as she pulls me into a tight hug.

"I was about to.." I mumbled.

"Well, let's get a move on then! Go on!" She orders, pushing me towards the kitchen again.

She looks at my glass container and shakes her head before snatching it and placing the food onto a plate before heating it up again and giving it back to me.

"Eat." She orders again.

I relent, already feeling the oncoming headache forming on the back of my skull should I choose to argue with her.

When she sees that I am finished, she takes my plate and orders me away.

"You don't have to do this, Mrs. Cope." I say, trying to take the plate so I can wash it myself.

"Nonsense, Bells, you're away a lot, days at a time. You need someone to baby you. Accept it. You won't get rid of me so easily, dear. I know you think you are alone in this world, but you're not. You have people that love you, and that care for you, and that are willing to do anything to see you happy. You just haven't realized it yet." She whispers, patting my arm.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope. What would I do without all of you?" I ask, hugging her.

"I don't ask questions I don't want the answers to. Now, go back up and get some more rest." She says, as she rushes me out of the kitchen and quickly does the dishes.

I don't go back to sleep when I go back up to my room. I simply lay on it, with my blanket pulled around me.

The question of what I should do bouncing around my mind.

Over the next few days, I manage to distract myself by going into the clinic and checking on my patients.

None are due until close to the end of the year so I happily check on the babies with the doppler and then head back home.

As a reach the house, I am surprised to see a large navy blue SUV with tinted windows, parked just outside of my driveway.

A tall, muscular man with bronze hair is pacing outside on my porch. He looked straight at me as I parked and hopped out.

"Isabella Swan?" He asks looking at me, in question, his voice sounding familiar.

My eyes widen in recognition. "Fuck! How the hell did he find me?" I mutter to myself, as he slowly begins approaching me.


	4. Chapter 4

Fuck! What the hell am I doing here?

Damn it! Why couldn't I just go alone to this place?

Oh right, the natives of the tribe had customs. Fucking customs!

Now, I had no choice but to stoop down to the art of begging this woman, who seemed to be suspicious of everyone around her.

As soon as I arrived to my floor, Aro was already waiting for me in my office, not _his_ but _mine._ That tidbit of information sent my anxiety into double time, and only seemed to increase as I remembered the conversation his words.

"Sir." I greeted cautiously as we stepped into my office.

"Cullen." He greets, handing me a file.

"Is this it?" I ask, my eyes gluing themselves to the manila folder in my hand.

He nods, quietly, sitting down on one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"Is something wrong, sir?" I ask, worried.

He quietly nods, "I am going on vacation Edward. My lovely wife, Sully, has been begging me to take her to Aruba and I have finally conceded to go for two weeks." He replied.

What does—? Oh, it must be serious if he can't utter it.

"How is that going to affect the case?" I asked, carefully.

"It won't. I managed to pull up a few elements that were missing. I have left you some possible things that may be of help. I suggest you go on person and not try to handle it via phone call. Take this file with you. Be vigilant, and contact me as soon as you know something." He says, before standing up.

Silently gesturing towards the file in my hand.

As I open the file I look through a few pages that have information on the case Seth and Logan were both working on.

It had to do with human trafficking, and possibly a drug supplying ring.

Fuck! What the hell did you get yourself into, Seth?!

First thing is first. I have to narrow down any possible leads.

I was just about to leave when Jeremy Ryker walked in, with a small bag in hand.

"Ryker?" I asked warily, slamming the file closed.

"The director told me to bring you all of this. Whitlock has been ordered to bring you something else, and take you to the airport.." He said, looking at me and nodding once before exiting the office.

I quickly grab the bag and file before stuffing the file into it and rushing out.

"Hey, let's go," Jasper called, inclining his head towards the elevator.

I nodded rushing out of my office, locking it after I left.

"Did the director tell you what is going on?" He asked, as he quickly maneuvered the car out of the spot and headed out of the lot.

"Possible mole. He is sending me to check on Seth for some reason. Keep an ear out and stay vigilant, tell Emmett the same." I informed.

"Stop by your house?" He asks, making a sharp turn.

I nod as he heads towards the direction of my building.

Once there I grabbed my black duffle bag, rush to my room and grab a couple of sets of clothes, my sneakers, and hiking boots, my badge, guns, their corresponding magazines, and a hunting knife. Then I shoved my keys, wallet, phone, and passport into my carry on before rushing back out the door.

After heading back to the car, Jasper rushed me towards the airport. As I got there I transferred one of my guns into my carry on along with my badge.

I ended up in Helena, Montana.

"Aro better have a good reason for sending me here," I grumbled as I checked into the hotel from the airport.

The only reason I was still here, is because Aro called me to tell me to stay here and look through the file as soon as possible.

Upon looking through it I found a small white envelope with my name written across it.

It was from Aro.

_Edward, _

_If you are reading this that means I was able to get you out of D.C safely. There is a mole within the bureau, and I am afraid they have been leaking information to our enemies, compromising all of our missions. Seth and Logan were the last agents I was able to help, you will find them with the Archugan Tribe or somewhere on their land, that's located within the Amazonian forest. The file has a list of people that will be able to help. Go with _Swan_. Don't use your cell phone anymore, it has been compromised. _

_Be safe, stay vigilant, and keep me posted. _

_~ FBI Director, Aaron Vancanti._

_P.S. once you have new info, call this number. (297) 010-1552 ext. 3001... it's the hotel my wife and I will be staying in._

I looked at my phone and silently opened the back before sliding out the SIM card, along with the GPS chip. I crushed both cards and then proceeded to throw the phone towards the wall, watching it crumble into pieces.

Damn, that means I now had to go buy a disposable one.

I need to get to the bank and quickly.

Before I did any of this I had to call the person Aro told me to call.

From the file. There were only three options that were circled in red.

A Lauren Mallory-Crowley and Tyler Crowley.

Married, he is an archaeologist and she a botanist.

Lauren? Where had I heard that name before? Oh god! Wasn't the crazy stalker chick that was following a friend of mine around two years ago, named Lauren?

Oh hell no. Next on the list was Charles and Renee Swan. He is an Archaeologists and she is a Pathologist.

It said they lived around here.

I call when I get back from the errands I had to run.

Well, this whole afternoon turned out to be more productive than I thought.

I found the bag Jasper gave me within the confines of the SUV I had rented for my time here.

As it turned out, Jasper had stuffed the bag with petty cash, a few extra magazines, another manila folder, and yet another note, and six burn phones.

Since I no longer needed to head anywhere else, so I took the opportunity to scope out the area.

When I got back to the hotel room, I quickly went through the bags, moving a few things here and there before I went to check the contents of the new file.

I found another note, this time from Jasper.

_Ed, _

_Emmett and I will be heading to one of the safe houses. Aro informed of the situation, and has advised me to do so. But not before I made sure you were out of D.C first. You'll be needing this. _

_~ Jazz._

_P.S. Don't kill me. It was Aro who told me what to put in there._

I looked down at the piece of paper confused.

What the hell would I get mad at?

It sunk in when I tipped over the folder and all it's contents spilled out.

Two passports, two sets of rings, a marriage license, and two new aliases.

Fuck me, he didn't.

Another note?

_Edward, _

_As you have probably discovered, there is a marriage certificate, rings, aliases and passports in there. _

_I need you to keep Isabella safe. She is key to bringing down the mole. _

_Keep her safe at all costs. When you have spoken to her call me right away._

_Forgive me for the mystery. _

_~ Aaron Vancanti._

_P.S. you are the only one that I trust with this particular assignment. Forgive me._

Fuck, he did.

I spent the rest of the night going through the files, not much was known except the last coordinates of where the helicopter just before it went down.

In the other file was a brief description of Isabella Swan.

It says here:

Name: Isabella Marie Swan. Sex: F

Birthdate: 09/13/1995

Social: xxx-xx-1945

Address: 22942 Oak Ave. Clearwilde, Montana 32000

Martial Status : Single

Bank info: account number: xxx-xxx-21-0913

Checking: 2,000 Saving: 120,000

.All her info was here, along with a few notes from Aro here and there.

By the time morning came I was debating whether or not to call her. It just past eight thirty.

Curiosity won.

I quickly punched in the numbers and cracking my neck to get rid of the stiffness as I waited for her to answer.

As a woman answered. "Hello?" Her voice sounding low and sweet as she did.

"Is a Miss. Isabella Swan there?" I ask in a rush, forgetting to greet her in the process.

"Yes, this is she speaking. How may I help you?" She asks, as a click noise sounds in the background.

"This is Edward Cullen, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation…" I explain, trying not to alarm her.

"Ah-huh…" She mumbles, distractedly.

The silence stretching out after her response.

"I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me?" I ask, trying to keep calm and be patient.

"It depends on the questions." She replies, in a stoic, guarded tone.

Smart girl.

"Yes, well… we have reason to believe you know the location of the Archugan tribe residence within the Amazonian wilderness." I say, trying to explain.

"That wasn't a question." She points out, quietly.

Great. She _is_ suspicious.

"We need your help." I say, after struggling to ask what I really need to ask.

"I can't help you." She replied, honestly.

_'Can't help me? How would she know?'_

"How do you know you can't if you don't even know what kind of help we need from you?" I asked, annoyed as hell now.

My mother taught me to be a gentleman, I can't cuss at or in front of her, but fuck do I want to right now.

"My guess is that you need some sort of guide to lead you through the wilderness, or you are looking for something in that particular area and only a member of said tribe has access to." She replied amused, seeming to enjoy my annoyance.

I grumble, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "Fuck." I let out as I accidentally get myself in the eye.

"Be honest with me." She finally replies, calmly.

Honesty. What else will get her to help me but the truth? I sigh, tired now.

"There was a crash near the area of the tribe, two agents are missing, we looked through our list of the top archaeologists and pathologists. Your parents were in there. It says here you are their only child. Since I — " I explain.

"My parents are dead." I hear her state, once again stoically.

Shit! They are dead? I scan the paper again. Fucking stupid! It says it right there! Oh sweet Mary and Joseph, it said it on the paper. How the fuck did I miss that?!

"Oh… I— Sorry for your loss. I didn't mean to…" I stutter, scrambling to apologize.

My calm façade just flew out the fucking window.

"It's fine. It happened long ago… Can you please just get to the point?" She finally asked me.

Sure, I can do that too. ' Get to the point, dipshit!' I think facepalming myself, accidentally getting myself in the eye with one of my nails.

"Sure. What I wanted to ask you, before you interrupted me...was if you would mind guiding me to the tribe?" I asked.

"How can _I_ help _you_? I'm not a pathologist or archaeologist, I'm a midwife." She argues, confused.

"You have knowledge of their customs, the land, and the general area." I responds, calmly.

"I'll have to get back to you." She replied before ending the call.

Damn! what now?

I was supposed to be one of the best in my field, yet I couldn't ask a few fucking questions to a woman? What the hell is wrong with me?

Fucking shitballs, I blew this out of the water.

What do I do now? Call Aro! Call Aro!

Shit! Shit! Shit!

"Hello?" Aro's groggy voice answered.

"Shit! Sorry! I- I just spoke to Isabella…" I rushed.

"What did you say?" He asked, amused now.

"I — I made an ass out of myself." I confessed, pacing in the room.

That set him off. Great, now my boss is laughing at me.

"Of course, you did." He finally said, clearing his throat to stop another bout of laughter.

"Well?" I asked, impatiently.

"Well, what?" He asked, still amused.

"What do I do now? She hung up on me!"

"First, calm down, you're just riling yourself up for nothing. Then you wait a few days. She needs time." He explains.

"That's all?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes, _that's all_. Now, I have to go. I _am_ on vacation and do wish to sleep a little longer." He said, hanging up.

I stared at the phone confused. What the hell was that?

Then I realized he told me to wait and I slammed the things down.

I hated waiting. Fucking damn it!

I only managed to wait a few days before looking her address up, packing up my things and checking out of the hotel.

Fuck waiting, I needed to speak to this Isabella today!


	5. Chapter 5

_Bella's POV:_

Why the hell was he here?

...and he is staring at me expectantly. Oh god, he is making his way towards me. Why couldn't I have had a travel day?

"Yes. Who might you be?" I ask, playing dumb.

"I'm Agent Edward Cullen, I called you the other day?" He says, raising an eyebrow at me.

_'Well, of course I know who you are. How can I _not _remember you? You caused me to remember things I had carefully avoided, and buried a long time ago.'_ I thought acidly.

"Yes, I remember." I replied, through stiff lips, pushing past him and heading towards the mailbox.

I noticed a rather large box was carefully leaning against the mailbox.

To: Isabella Swan.

Hm. I hardly ever got any mail unless it was a bill, or some sort of subscription.

"Awesome…" I muttered, as I bent down and tried to pick it up.

Heavy. Too damn heavy.

I tried lifting it up again, before a throat cleared from behind me.

"No, no...I can— hm— lift it— hm— up—mm— by myself." I gritted, trying to lift it up again and again only to fail.

_'What the hell is in this thing?'_ I thought, angrily kicking it.

"Do you need some help?" He asked, amused.

"Maybe…" I muttered, chagrined.

He nodded silently, bending down and picking up the package without so much as a huff.

I silently led him back to the house, swiftly unlocking the door and leading him towards the kitchen where he set the damn devil box onto the breakfast nook.

I quickly looked for one of the steak knives, finding one in the top drawer before I turned back towards the box, and stabbed through the clear yellow tape.

I can feel as the knife dropped to the ground as my eyes land on what's in the box. The air freezing in the back of my throat as I stare at the contents within the box.

I heard a click from behind me, "Isabella, please step back from the box." He warned.

I felt myself back, as he cautiously walked towards it. He moved quickly to open the box and scoffed before turning towards me steamed.

"What is all of this?" He asked, aggravated.

"This woman went into labor last week, in a restaurant bathroom. I was there picking up lunch and ended up helping her deliver the baby. Her husband is a butcher. He must have brought this, though my guess is personally since there isn't any sort of postal stamp." I guess, shrugging.

No wonder the box was heavy. There must have been about six different types of cheese, wine, and lunch meats, in there. The fact that everything was neatly packaged along with an envelope only made it more surprising.

_Dear Isabella,_

_Words can not describe the gratitude I feel towards you. I can't thank you enough for helping my wife with the delivery of my son, Oliver. I hope this enough to begin with. It is a small token of our gratitude. _

_With our compliments, _

_Jerry and Silvia Woodly._

"Oh Jeeze." I mutter, looking down at the massive assortment of lunch meats again.

"Do they always do this?" He asked, surprised.

"Not all of them. Some usually send the clinic some lunch for the staff. Others have sent me fruit baskets, chocolate products… there's a lot of things. I usually just end up giving some of the things to and her family or my friends." I say, shrugging.

There has got to be more than six different individual boxes of wine, in here. All of different flavors. Cool.

"...and you just accept them? What if they are trying to poison you?" He asked appalled.

Cynical much?

"This a small town. Everyone knows one another here. All the adults? I grew up with them. Why would anyone try to hurt me?" I scoffed.

"Believe it or not. There are people out there that do in fact do that just for shits and giggles. Don't be so trusting." He commented, eyeing the contents of the box again.

"Were you here for a specific reason or are you here just to annoy me to death?" I asked, scowling at him.

He bit his lip in response. "I'm here to speak to you...about something but you keep sidetracking me." He says, the corners of his lips twitching.

So, he's amused.

"Well, get on with it. I had an early day and want to get some rest before I have to visit the hospital this afternoon." I lied.

He nods, before looking up at me. It is then that I notice the memorizing color of his eyes for the first time since he arrived.

A deep-sea green, it was the perfect shade between blue and green, more green than blue. Does such a green exist?

"Well?" I ask, as I slowly begin pulling out all the lunch meat and cheese and taking them to the fridge, to keep myself from ogling 't need him thinking I am a pervert now, do we?

As I set all the meat packages into the fridge I took careful inventory.

Roast beef, ham(smoked/ honey/ regular) salami, corned beef, chicken (garlic and herb/ buffalo/ and regular)breast, turkey breast( smoked/regular), and mortadella.

I smiled as I noted everything was sliced and continued to take inventory for the cheese.

American, mozzarella, swiss, muenster, cheddar, provolone, and ricotta.

Cool I now had enough to make myself sandwiches to my heart's content.

The wines were a lot. Strawberries, cherries, berries, and the original white and red grape wines.

"This must have cost them a lot of money." I noted as I placed all the wines on the rack.

"I need your help." I finally heard him say.

"I got that bit from the call the other day…" I replied, dryly.

"No, look. My friend and his partner were working on a case, they were traveling to Brazil to speak to one of the contacts when they both disappeared. Their last known location was by Rio Preto da Eva, that's somewhere on the land of the Archugan tribe...we have already tried to negotiate with them, ask for help but their customs forbid it." He explains.

Rio Preto da Eva goes through the tribe's land, which is probably why the tribe had refused to help.

Only a member of the tribe is allowed near there.

In cases like this my hands were bound. See, a woman, especially a nonmarried one isn't allowed to travel by themselves with men alone. It was forbidden. Offensive, even. Especially to the tribal elders

"Well, I can see you problem, but I still can't help you." I say, pulling out two glasses and serving lemonade into them.

"What? Why not?" He asked, surprised as I offered him some lemonade.

"The customs in the tribe forbid it." I reply, as I began pulling out some things to eat. "How long have you been waiting for me?" I asked.

"Since nine in the morning." He states, looking at the food hungrily.

"It's almost lunch, would you like something to eat?" I asked, remembering the lasagna, Mrs. Cope brought over last night.

"Sure." He said, as he sat down on the stool.

I nodded, quickly placing two large slices onto a plate before I placed it in the microwave to heat up.

I move comfortably in silence as I grab the other things for us to eat.

"To answer your question, it's because I am not married…" I answer him, quietly and honestly.

"So, you're telling me that you can't help me because of your marital status?" He asks, a glint in his eye.

"The tribe is a simple people. They are very old fashioned, and protective of their females." I reply, placing his plate before him, handing him a fork afterward.

"I see." He says, before taking an apprehensive, cautious bite.

Seriously?! Does he think I'd poison him?

"I'm not going to poison you." I whispered as I set my plate across from his.

"I know. It's not a lack of trust. I just haven't eaten real food in four days and don't want to look like swine." He replies amused.

"Right..." I muttered, rolling my eyes at him before taking a bite of my food.

The entire time we eat, I can see his mind reeling. He was trying to think of something.

"So, there is no way you can help?" He asks.

"There is...but I don't think there is much time especially if there is a danger like you stated. Time is against us." I state, clasping my hands.

"If there is any way to help, let's do it." He says, anxiously.

I know there is a way, a little unorthodox but… still.

"Your friend. Just how important is he to you?" I ask, evasively.

"He is like a brother to me." He replies automatically.

I can hear the sincerity, along with worry in his voice. When I look up at him, I see both. emotions along with the underlying hope in his mesmerizing sea-green eyes.

I nod."Does he have a family?" I ask, swallowing thickly, playing aimlessly with the same necklace that hung around my neck.

He eyes me for a moment, searching for something before he finally does reply.

"He does. His wife, Serenity and his two kids, Harry and Gwen." He states.

The answer hit me. Harder than expected. He has a _family_. I _have_ to help him. I can not let those two children grow up without a father. I have to help, somehow. "How opposed are you to do this in an unorthodox manner?" I asked, eyeing him.

"I'm not opposed at all." He said, looking at me unblinkingly.

I nodded in approval."Good, because this may be the only way to save your friend." I reply, gathering the dishes and taking them to the sink.

I could feel his body heat as he walked up closer to me, causing my body to react abnormally. Meaning I accidentally splashed myself in response.

"...and what, may I ask, is that Miss. Swan?" He asked me, intrigued, as he stepped closer to me.

'Bella, knock it off! You don't know him.' I chastised, as I smiled to myself, anticipating his response.

I turned and looked up at him, smirking."Just how opposed are you, to _faking_ a marriage?" I asked him.

I watched as he gulped nervously, and stepped back.

"Miss. Swan there's no need for you to do that…" he begins, looking away.

What does he mean? I thought he wanted to help his friends?

"Why not? I thought you wanted to help your friend? You've already tried negotiating with the tribe. You need me. So, this is the last resort...you want led my help, this is my way of helping. " I stated, confused.

His reassuring smile confuses me. "No, you misunderstood me…" he begins.

Ok, now I am really confused. "How so?" I ask.

"There is no need to fake anything...because we're already married." He states.

Did he just—?

No, I must have misheard him. He couldn't possibly said we are married to each other when just met in person not three hours ago.

I look at him again to see him staring at me, anxiously, that is when I realize he did, in fact, say we're married.

Before I can stop what I am doing I find myself walk up to him and—

SLAP!

Oh. My.God.


	6. Chapter 6

_Edward's POV:_

The entire morning has been a bust. I clearly didn't think this through or realize how difficult it would be to find this house within this woodland developed town.

"Fuck, what do I do now?" I muttered, smacking the steering wheel with my palm again.

The GPS had me heading towards the more deserted part of the town, but only because the houses were distanced farther away from each other.

When I finally do reach the house, I note that its far bigger than I expect. Two floors, ranch-style house. It has a large porch with a porch swing in it.

My mind briefly wonders to an image, an impossible desire that can never happen. An impossibility, especially for someone who works in my type of field.

When I snap out of my daze, I note that she probably isn't at home.

Without giving it a second thought I turned the engine off and got out, slowly assessing the surroundings and the neighborhood itself before I slowly approached the porch, keeping an eye on all my surroundings.

I was so focused on the information I had read earlier that I missed the large yellow 1960 Volkswagen Transporter bus pulling into the drive next to the truck.

I watched silently as a small, dark-haired woman hops out of the bus, "Isabella Swan?" I ask, carefully watching her closely.

I watch as her eyes widen in recognition. "Fuck! How the hell did he find me?" She muttered, non too quiet, as she stared back at me, seeming to recognize me for a second before she pushes past me and walks over to the mailbox at the end of the driveway.

I almost smirked at her reaction, thinking about how long it did take me to find her, even though we were both in the same state.

"Yes. Who might you be?" She asks, politely.

Her eyes give her away automatically.

I can see the anger brewing within her silver and bluish green eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if she shut the door in my face.

Still, I can't help but look into her eyes. They're so deep, they mesmerize me, causing my mind to go blank for a moment.

Her eyes are a unique color, the middle is a combination of blue, green, and silver, while having a light golden halo on the outer rim.

I've never seen anyone with such a color. It's dazing. Though her gaze suddenly flickers away breaking the connection I felt.

Causing my mind to slam, as if my head had suddenly smacked into reality.

"I'm Agent Edward Cullen, I called you the other day?" I respond, raising an eyebrow at her, and clearing my throat.

If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under, judging by the scalding look she threw my way.

"Yes, I remember." She replied, through stiff lips, pushing past me.

Damn, I must have annoyed her a lot the other day. Fuck, Cullen think! How can I make this right?

"Awesome…" She muttered, as bending down and trying to pick it up, giving me an unintentional full view of her backside.

I watched her try to lift it up more than once before she tried again. I silently watched amused as tried a few more times before clearing my throat, stepping forward to help.

"No, no...I can— hm— lift it— hm— up—mm— by myself." She gritted, trying to lift it up again and again only to fail, and stand upright to kick it angrily.

"Do you need some help?" I asked, amused.

I could almost see her stomp her foot in annoyance.

"Maybe…" She muttered, chagrined.

I nodded silently, bending down and picking up the package, and tilting my head silently asking her to lead the way.

She silently led me back to the house, swiftly unlocking the door and leading me towards the kitchen where I set the box onto the breakfast counter.

I stared at her, watching as she moved around the kitchen silently. My guess was that she found it. Since she silently turned back towards the box, and stabbed through the clear yellow tape with a steak knife.

I could see her tense as she dropped the knife to the ground as her eyes land on the contents of the box. Her jaw dropped and all the color drained from her face..

Shit! What was it? A bomb? A threat?

Oh fuck, why did I let her open the fucking box, why didnt I offer my assisstance?

I don't hesitate as I pull my glock out, clicking the safety off before "Isabella, please step back from the box." I instructed, calmly.

She backs up as I cautiously walked towards it. I moved to quickly open the box and scoffed before turning towards her annoyed.

Seriously? She reacted like that over a box full of lunch meat and cheese?

"What is all of this?" I asked, irritatedly.

Seriously. Calm down, Cullen, you're scaring her.

"This woman went into labor last week, in a restaurant bathroom. I was there picking up lunch and ended up helping her deliver the baby. Her husband is a butcher. He must have brought this, though my guess is personally since there isn't any sort of postal stamp." She explained, shrugging indifferently.

As she walks towards the box and pulls out the small envelope that sits on top of it.

"Oh Jeeze." I hear her mutter, looking down at the contents of the box, rolling her eyes.

"Do they always do this?" I asked, eyeing everything in surprise.

"Not all of them. Some usually send the clinic some lunch for the staff. Others have sent me fruit baskets, chocolate products… there's a lot of things. I usually just end up giving some of the things to and her family or my friends." She anwers, shrugging again.

Was she always like this?

"...and you just accept them? What if they are trying to poison you?" I asked astonished.

Did she just rolls her eyes at me?

"This a small town. Everyone knows one another here. All the adults? I grew up with them. Why would anyone try to hurt me?" She scoffs, offended.

How can she trust those people? She does realize not everyone has good intentions right?

"Believe it or not. There are people out there that do in fact do that just for shits and giggles. Don't be so trusting." I commented, eyeing the contents of the box again.

Shit! Did her eye just twitch?

"Were you here for a specific reason or are you here just to annoy me to death?" She asked, scowling at me.

'I think I just insulted her…' I think wanting to laugh at her scowl as she brief reminds me of a kitten thinking its a larger cat ready to pounce.

I bit my lip in response. "I'm here to speak to you...about something but you keep sidetracking me." I reply, highly amused.

"Well, get on with it. I had an early day and want to get some rest before I have to visit the hospital this afternoon." She says, annoyed.

I nod in response, before looking up at her. Where do I start? I guess the beginning is a good place

"Well?" She asks, as I watch her as she slowly begins to pull out all the lunch meat and cheese and taking them to the fridge.

I note that she is content as she hums to herself as she puts everything away in the refrigerator.

.

"This must have cost them a lot of money." She noted as she placed the wines, I didn't notice were there until this moment, on the rack.

"I need your help." I finally say.

"I got that bit from the call the other day…" she replies, dryly.

Setting all amusement aside, I try to explain to her what is happening.

"No, look. My friend and his partner were working on a case, they were traveling to Brazil to speak to one of the contacts when they both disappeared. Their last known location was by Rio Preto da Eva, that's somewhere on the land of the Archugan tribe...we have already tried to negotiate with them, ask for help but their customs forbid it." I explained, stoically.

I watch as she tenses for a moment before she looks up at me.

"Well, I can see you problem, but I still can't help you." She says, pulling out two glasses and serving lemonade into them.

"What? Why not?" I ask dumbfounded, as she offers me some lemonade.

My stomach rumbles in hunger as I take the glass and sip the sweet drink slowly.

"The customs in the tribe forbid it." She says quietly, as she began pulling out some things from the refrigerator. "How long have you been waiting for me?" She asked, suddenly.

I look down at my watch to see it's almost noon. Fuck! I had to get a move on.

"Since nine in the morning." I state, calmly.

"It's almost lunch, would you like something to eat?" She asks, already pulling out two plates.

Food sounded good right now. Especially a home cooked meal.

"Sure." I say, as I sat down on the stool.

She nodded, quickly placing two large slices of lasagna onto a plate before she placed it in the microwave to heat up.

I watched as she movez comfortably in silence and grabs the other things for us to eat. Pulling out some salad and a few slices of garlic bread too.

"To answer your question, it's because I am not married…" She whispers, looking at me for a second before dropping her gaze again.

Until now I hadn't noticed how naturally beautiful she is. She isn't wearing any makeup.

"So, you're telling me that you can't help me because of your marital status?" I asked, amused by this bit of info.

'_If only she knew…'_ I think.

Shit. I have a feeling she's not going to like this.

"The tribe is a simple people. They are very old fashioned, and protective of their females." She explains, placing a plate before me, and handing me a fork afterward.

I inhale the enticing smell of melted cheese, and other things, as I look down. My stomach grumbles hungrily as I fight the urge to dive in.

"I see." I respond, before taking an apprehensive, cautious bite.

It's delicious...

"I'm not going to poison you." She whispered as she slowly sets another plate across from mine.

I look up surprised to find her staring at me offended. Shit, I've offended her, when all I wanted to do was be polite.

Fix it, Cullen.

"Oh I know. It's not a lack of trust. I just haven't eaten real food in four days and don't want to look like swine." I replied highly amused.

"Right..." She muttered, rolling her eyes at me before taking a bite of her food.

She lets out a moan as she chews her food, licking her lips. The small noise causes muscles in my abdomen to tighten, and something to stir within me.

Now, why was that so enticing? How could the simple act of her licking her lips be so seductive to me?

I decide to push those perverse thoughts away and focus on the task at hand.

"So, there is no way you can help?" I finally ask her.

"There is...but I don't think there is much time especially if there is a danger like you stated. Time is against us." She states, clasping her small dainty hands together.

"If there is any way to help, let's do it." I state, anxiously.

"Your friend. Just how important is he to you?" She asks me.

"He is like a brother to me." I utter automatically.

I feel her scrutiny as she stared at me. It felt as if she could see everything about me, even what no one else knew.

Finally I see her nod once."Does he have a family?" She asked me, swallowing thickly, while playing with the delicate gold chain that hung around her neck.

I watch her for a second trying to figure out why she was asking. "He does. His wife, Serenity and his two kids, Harry and Gwen." I state, thinking about them fondly.

I watched her flinch back, as if I hurt her.

"How opposed are you to do this in an unorthodox manner?" She asked, eyeing me.

"I'm not opposed at all," I said, looking at her unblinkingly.

It's true. If there is something that I could do to get Seth and Logan home, then I would do it.

She nodded in approval."Good, because this may be the only way to save your friend." She replies, gathering the dishes into her hands before taking them to the sink.

"...and what, may I ask, is that Miss. Swan?" I ask her, amused, walking up to the sink to stand next to her.

She turned and looked up at me, smirking." Just how opposed are you, to _faking_ a marriage?" She asked.

I swallowed nervously, as I stared at her. Oh boy, she really isn't going to like this part. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she reached up and punched me in the face."Miss. Swan, there's no need for you to do that…" I begin, looking away from her confused stare.

"Why not? I thought you wanted to help your friend? You've already tried negotiating with the tribe. You need me. So, this is the last resort...you want to lead my help, this is my way of helping. " She stated, confused.

I try to smile at her reassuringly, but she looks back at me with confusion. "No, you misunderstood me…" I attempt again.

"How so?" She asks me.

Fuck, this is going to be harder than I thought. Fucking Aro. Why didn't he at least warn me of this.

"There is no need to fake anything...because we're already married." I finally confess.

She stares at me, confused for a moment. I can see the wheels in her head-turning.

When what I said finally sinks in, I watch her move hastily across the room back to me, and—

SLAP!

Did she slap me or punch me in the face? Damn, that woman packs quite a wallop.


	7. Chapter 7

_Bella's POV:_

I can feel my face heating up as I stare at him, shocked and embarrassed.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry!" I gasp, apologetically.

There is a small red blotch on the left side of his face as he stares at me, wide-eyed.

Yeah, we're both surprised there buddy boy.

I quickly retrieved an ice pack for the side of his face, quickly apologizing again as he winced.

"It's ok. I figured I would get hit or something." He teases as I handed him an ice pack, wincing again as he presses the pack to his face.

"Why did you take it upon yourself to get us _married_?" I asked, bitingly.

He raised his hands up in surrender. The man is smart, I'll give him that.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I wasn't the one who did this?" He asked, flinching back when I scowled at him.

Is he serious?! Who the hell would do this then?

He stepped back further. "My boss." He finally whispered.

His boss?! Why would _he_ do this?

"Why?" I asked, confused. "It doesn't make any sense. Why would your boss choose for us to be married?" I asked, feeling stunned.

"Hell, if I know." He muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"What is his name? I need to speak with this man. Do you have his number?" I asked.

"His name is Aaron Vancanti." He replied, looking at me.

Vancanti…

"A—Aaron Van—can—ti?" I asked, strangled.

I hadn't heard that name since my parents died.

I suddenly felt my pulse race, and the room began to get smaller. Suddenly my legs gave out from under me.

I could hear as Edward rushed towards me, just before everything around me went dark.

When I finally did wake up, I'm on the couch in the living room, with a small wet cloth on my forehead.

"Oh, good you're up." I hear Edward's voice as he walks into the room.

"Oh, _goody, _you're still here." I snipped back.

He shakes his head at me, amused before he sits in the armchair. "Yes, I actually almost got my ass handed to me by Mrs. Cope when she came to check on you earlier with another woman, Angela Weber, I think?" He replied, giving me a small smile.

I feel as a small smile begins to form on my lips as I think of little Mrs. Cope and Angela, actually trying to cause any damage to anyone.

"Angela? Did she say why she was here? How long has it been?" I asked, rolling my head and my stiff shoulders, sighing in relief as my joints popped.

"Twenty minutes. She is in the kitchen with Mrs. Cope," he answers immediately.

I nod in response. "I want to talk after they leave. Will you be staying near?" I ask.

He looks down at his wrist, before looking back up at me. "Sure. I will be leaving soon since I do need to go look for another hotel to stay in for the night." He explained, standing up.

"Oh okay." I mutter, before slowly standing up and heading for the kitchen, where I find both women whispering and giggling with one another.

"Ladies." I greet, as I walk into the room and go grab a glass and fill it with water.

"Bella, oh, how are you feeling, my dear?" Mrs. Cope asked when she realized it was me.

"I feel much better, thank you, Mrs. Cope." I reply as I serve myself a glass of lemon-infused water.

"Are you hungry, dear?" She asked me.

Since I had just taken a large gulp of water so I simply swallowed and shook my head in response, "No, thank you, Mrs. Cope. My friend and I already ate earlier, after I got home." I explained.

She and Angela shared a look. "Is that soo….?" Mrs. Cope says.

"Did you two need anything else? Not that I'm bothered that you're both here but I am sort of busy…" I trailed off.

"Oh no, sweetheart, Jessica just called us earlier and told us she saw a weird car parked in front of your house, then that she passed by and saw a man talking to you." Mrs. Cope explained.

Of course, Jessica Stanley would notice if someone new showed up in Clearwilde. That also explained why Angela was here, she is Jessica's roommate, and one of my closest friends.

Sadly, I notice Jessica's nosey tendencies are rubbing off on my dear friend, Ang. I don't know if I like this or not. It may affect our friendship, hopefully not.

"As I said before, he is a _friend_. You don't have to worry." I reply, fighting the eye roll I feel coming.

The disappointment on their faces was clearer than water, which only increased my amusement, and annoyance tenfold.

"Is there anything you two needed?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at them.

"No, I just wanted to see how ...you were doing…" Angela muttered.

Right… I'm sure that is the only reason why she is here right now...

"I'm fine. You can also tell Jessica that since she is so concerned with my business and wellbeing as well." I tell her, dryly.

The blush that erupts from the tips of her ears and face tell me why she is, in fact, here.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." She whispers.

"It's fine, Ang, but please quit letting Jessica talk you into doing her meddling. It's annoying and stupidly unnecessary." I respond, looking at Mrs. Cope, who is placing something in the refrigerator.

"I made some rosemary herbed rotisserie chicken last night. I brought you half." She says eyeing me meaningfully.

"Thank you." I whisper, thickly.

"It's no problem, dear. Now, if you don't mind, Mr. Cope is waiting for me in the car, we have some things to pick up at the hardware store so he can fix the leak in the bathroom and the hole in the backyard fence. I'll be back tomorrow, alright, sweetheart?" She says, pulling me in for a hug.

"Yes, thank you." I say, smiling at her.

She nodded and pulled Angela out of the house with her.

I leaned onto the breakfast nook, putting my head into my hands. I need to move...

I noticed the moment they disappeared, Edward appeared again.

"So.." I began, looking down at my feet.

"You wanted to speak to my boss?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I still do." I say firmly, looking at him unblinkingly.

He gulps nervously, before he pulled out a small black cell phone, and clicked its buttons a few times and handed it to me.

"It's calling him." He informed me, tightly.

"Good." I say, walking out of the room, I could hear his hurried steps as he followed me, but I was too angry to care.

I walk into the living room and begin pacing as I hear the damn contraption continue to ring at an annoying snail pace.

Finally, I heard a small click, and a sigh.

"What is it now, Edward?"

"You have got some nerve, old man!" I spit at him, as Edward reached the living room, wide-eyed.

"Isabella, how nice to finally hear from you." He replies amused.

Seriously? _He_ hasn't spoken to _me_ since I was eight years old. He's got some nerve.

"Why did you do this?" I asked, ignoring his amusement.

"Do what, child?" He asks surprised.

He's got some nerve.

"Listen, old man, you're not funny. So, tell me why you married me off to this Cullen man, or I'll hunt you down and squeeze the answers out of you." I threatened.

His responding sigh, put me automatically on edge. "Alright. Bella, what I am about to tell you is not going to be easy to hear. Now I need you to be calm, and promise me you won't do anything stupid or rash." He said, pausing.

Oh God. What is happening?

"Alright, I promise." I mumbled.

"Good. Now, I managed to find out what really happened the night your parents were murdered. It seems that there is a large group that has somehow managed to conspire within the bureau, bringing danger to us all." He explained.

"What does that have to do with my parents?" I asked, scared.

"Bella, I promise I will explain everything personally the next time we see each other. For now that is all the information I can give you." He rationalized.

I can't believe how long it has taken. This could be very dangerous.

"Alright. Promise you'll be safe." I mumbled back.

"I will now, I have one more favor to ask of you. Please, show Edward where the tribe is, it'll help us, since we need the information Seth may have acquired." He explained.

"Did we _really_ have to be married? I mean what was so wrong about putting some rings on and pretending to be married?" I asked.

I know I sounded bratty, but could you blame me?

"The tribe has ways of knowing these things, Isabelle. I didn't want to risk you two having any trust issues with them." He explained.

"I guess you're right. Fine. When do we need to leave?" I asked, as dread gathered in the pit of my stomach.

"As soon as possible." He replied.

As soon as he hung up, I looked towards Edward in question. "How fast can you get us to Brazil?" I finally asked him.

"Let me make a few calls." He replied, pulling out yet another phone.

How many of those does this man have?

I nod in response. Waiting for him to tell me what to do.

"Go pack some clothes. Two bags." He finally instructs me.

I scamper up the stairs into my room, and head for the hall closest quickly pulling put a large duffle bag, and a medium sized one.

I quickly grabbed as much of my clothes as humanly possible and dropped them neatly into the large bag, before grabbing a pair of my sneakers, flats, and hiking boots and placing them into their individual gallon bags and placing them into the bag.

I checked for anything else I may need before throwing the other bag on the bed and heading back down the stairs.

I just hoped everything worked out for the best.


	8. Chapter 8

_Edward's POV:_

This day hadn't turned out how I expected, and there are plenty of reasons why.

For one, meeting Isabella was shocking to say the least. Especially since I didn't expect her to slap me, so hard, in fact , that my jaw is still actually hurting.

Two, she passed out as soon as I mentioned the name of my boss to her. Aaron Vancanti. How did she know him?

Then, as if things aren't already complicated enough, these two women showed up and threatened me with an umbrella and a heavy-looking handbag. One very familiar, yet I can't seem to put my finger on it.

Where had I seen her before? I racked and racked my brain to remember but came up empty-handed.

Now, I am just confused.

The sudden stirring from the sandy brown plush couch catches my attention.

"Mm.." She mumbled, as her eyes danced behind her eyelids

"Oh good, you're up." I mumbled, sagging in relief as her eyelids pulled back.

At least we didn't have to go to the emergency room, that was a plus.

"Oh, _goody, _you're still here." She quipped back.

Well, of course, I was still here, where else was I supposed to go after she passed out? The gas station? The Richie's Co-Op, which happens to be down the road, perhaps?

I shook my head at her, trying to hide my amusement from her before answering, at me, amused before he sits in the armchair. "Yes, I actually almost got my ass handed to me by Mrs. Cope when she came to check on you earlier with another woman, Angela Weber, I think?" I replied, letting a small smile form

I note that she is trying to push her amusement away before she looked up at me.

"Angela? Did she say why she was here? How long has it been?" She asked, raising a thin brow.

"Twenty minutes. She is in the kitchen with Mrs. Cope," I answer.

The longest twenty minutes of my life, it tore at me when I saw her eyes roll to the back of her head and her knees buckled as she dropped to the ground.

Had I not been close enough, she would've had a nice goose egg on the back of her head.

"I want to talk after they leave. Will you be staying near?" She asks, concerned.

I looked down at my wristwatch to check the time. Half-past one. "Sure. I will be leaving soon since I do need to go look for another hotel to stay in for the night." I explained, standing up.

She nodded before standing up and heading for the kitchen and I headed out the front door to make a call.

As I'm walking out of the front door, I looked up to see the all too familiar face of Marcus Vancanti.

"Marcus? Marcus Vancanti?" I call, unsure.

The tall figure of the man turned slowly to look at me, wide-eyed. "Edward?" He asked, as slowly made his way over to where I stood on the porch.

"What on Earth are you doing here?" He asked, lowly.

I could see how tense he was, but what do I tell him? Everything? nothing? I was at an impasse.

"Aro sent me here…" I finally replied after a moment.

He rolled his eyes in understanding. "What has my brother done now?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The Bureau has been compromised...Isabella the only hope we have to take down the mole…" I explained.

He looked at me wide-eyed. "Does this mean my brother found out who murdered our sister, Renate and her husband, Charles?" He asked.

Wait, did he just say..._sister_? That means...Isabella is Aro's niece. Oh god… this isn't going to be good.

"I-Isabella is you-your niece?" I gasped, feeling as if my legs had been knocked from under me.

"Yes, my little sister, Renate or Renata changed her name to Reneé before she married Charles. She was Isabella's mother." He told me.

"How— is this possible?" I asked unable to form any other thought.

I did know Aro had two brothers, one younger and one older than him but I never knew he had a sister. Hell, I don't think anyone other than his family and close friends knew this bit of information.

"She was always the most hairbrained, and reckless of us four, despite being the youngest. So, imagine our surprise when she called us and told us she had just graduated and was getting married to a Charles Swan. We all doubted it would last but it did. She was very much in love with him. That love made them push each other to reach and pursue their greatest dreams and ambitions. It was how they both met their ends. We decided to keep her a secret for her safety." He explained, sadly to me.

This was an unexpected revelation.

"So, what are you doing here, young Cullen?" He asked me when I failed to form a proper response.

"Aro sent me…" I replied, unable to form another response.

If she is related to Aaron, Marcus, and Caius… could it be that someone found out about this hidden info and used it to their advantage? Maybe even going as far as killing her? Maybe it was all revenge?

"Marcus, who do you know that would want to hurt your family?" I asked, on edge now.

"None that I can think of at the moment. Perhaps, you should ask my brothers that question." He suggested as both women came rushing out of the house like their asses were on fire.

I nodded in response, already wondering how I was going to even bring up the conversation without Isabella going all Rocky on me. My jaw still hurt from that slap she had given me earlier.

"Fuck. How do I even begin a conversation like that...and why the hell didn't Isabella mention Aro and you are her uncles?" I wondered, baffled.

"Because she doesn't know. We all decided that only Aro should tell her about himself, while Caius and I could protect her if need be." He told me.

"I see." I muttered, in realization.

"You should probably go inside." He suggested before he quickly makes his way down the porch and across the lawn and towards his truck.

As I do walk into the house searching for her, I wonder exactly what kind of fucked up situation Aro brought me into.

"So.." She murmurs, looking down at her feet.

"You wanted to speak to my boss?" I asked, raising a brow at her in question.

"I still do." She says firmly, looking at me unblinkingly.

Fuck. Now what...

I swallowed nervously, before pulling out one of the small burns phones, I acquired earlier today. Clicking its buttons a few times before handing it over to her.

"It's calling him." I inform her, tightly.

"Good." She grinds, walking out of the room, with the phone pressed to her ear.

Fuck, she looks pissed. I hope she doesn't do anything rash.

"You have got some nerve, old man!" She spit at him.

Whatever the old man responds, causes her face to turn a dark magenta color. I almost feel the overpowering need to grab the phone from her just so she'll calm down.

"Why did you do this?" She finally asked, turning her back to me.

Damn, if looks could kill, I'd be six feet under.

"Listen, old man, you're not funny. So, tell me why you married me off to this Cullen man, or I'll hunt you down and squeeze the answers out of you." She threatened.

"Alright, I promise." She mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"What does that have to do with my parents?" She asked, tensing up.

I got the distinct feeling that the situation was about to get very dangerous.

"Alright. Promise you'll be safe." She mumbled back, turning to look at me.

Amusement clouding her pretty features. What was she up to now?

"Did we really have to be married? I mean what was so wrong about putting some rings on and pretending to be married?" She complained.

"I guess you're right. Fine. When do we leave?" She asked, anxiously, looking in my direction.

When the call ended she looked at me, solemnly. "How fast can you get us to Brazil?" She finally asked.

"Let me make a few calls." I respond, pulling out another one of the burn phones. "Go pack some clothes. Two bags." I instruct her, watching as she scurried up the steps.

After making a few calls everything is set. Now I just hoped everything worked out for the best.


	9. Chapter 9

_Bella's POV:_

After placing my bag in the foyer I quickly head up the stairs to shower and change clothes. Since I'm still wearing my scrubs, and still smell like the clinic.

_Twenty minutes later:_

After I watched Edward get my bags into his SUV, I walked back into the house and grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down a note for the Copes, stating an emergency had come up and had to leave immediately, and that I would call as soon as possible.

I pinned the note onto the door and grabbed my coat, walked out of the house, with my keys, and a medium leather backpack.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked me.

I sighed. No, why would I be ready to go back to where I saw my parents get murdered before my eyes? Could you blame me for avoiding it all these years?

"Yes, let's go…" I muttered, glumly.

He nodded, opening the passenger's door, waited for me to climb in and buckle in before he closed it and walked around the front.

I waited, a full five minutes until we got on the highway before I finally snapped. "Which airport are we heading to?" I asked, clutching at the seat as he sped through the partially empty road.

"Great Falls International." He replied. "We'll be flying to Texas, a friend of mine owns a small jet, we'll be taking that to Sao Paulo…" he explained.

I nodded in response, twisting the pendant on the chain around my neck, anxiously. Letting my mind wander where I hadn't allowed it to for a very long time.

How were the people on the tribe doing? Would they remember me? Could they forgive me for running away?

Memories of my mother's smile as we walked through the thick vegetation suddenly clouded my mind. The smell of their unique coffee seemed to cloud my mind.

My mouth watered as I thought of having a cup of it. The delicious nutty, chocolatey, bittersweet taste made me almost groan in anticipation as I thought of drinking a cup of it once more.

The tribe always used it in rituals, celebrations, and peace offerings. Always avoiding violence.

"Tell me something." He suddenly spoke, jolting me out of my reverie.

"What would you like to know?" I whispered, still twisting the small pendant between my forefinger and thumb.

"You grew up within the tribe. Right?" He asked as he veered out of the highway.

"Yes." I replied honestly.

"So, would you be considered an honorary member of the tribe?" He asked.

"Yes, I was made an honorary member after I turned seven, my entire family was." I whispered.

"Oh.."

As we reached the airport, he took our bags to the luggage drop off, flashing his badge at the airport security, and left the large SUV at the car rental parking designated spot.

We were sitting in gate 155, waiting to board the plane when I heard Edward curse.

"What's wrong, Ed?" I asked, raising a brow at him, slowly turning to look at him.

"Ed? Ah...no. I forgot to give you this." He said, producing a small, black, velvet box.

The air in my throat caught as I looked down at the small, inoffensive velvet box sitting in the palm of his hand.

"The rings?" I asked, flatly.

He cleared his throat, before nodding at me dryly. "Aro got two plain gold bands for us. Though, after the call the other day, you didn't strike me as a gold-wearing person, so, I took the liberty of replacing them." He explained.

I didn't know how to feel. Confused, I supposed.

He cleared his throat and opened the box to reveal a thin, Versailles cushion cut band, and its matching infinity band. The cushion cut diamond was small, and I loved it.

It was practical. Many women love massive diamonds on their ring finger. Not me, especially since my occupation hardly permits the use of rings due to the risk of infection.

"If you don't like it, we can always use the ones Aro bought us..." He said as he began to pull his hand away.

"No. I like these." I say quickly, interrupting him.

'He is right. I do prefer silver to gold, not that a lot of people know that.' I think as I stare at his extended hand.

He nods, before taking the rings from the box and extending his right hand towards me. I look at him flustered before I slowly extend my left hand towards him.

I watch as he slowly slides the rings into place. His mesmerizing deep sea-green eyes flicking towards mine as he did. An unexplained emotion shining in his eyes.

"What about you? Will you be wearing a ring too?" I asked him curiously.

"I already am." He whispered, smirking at me as he stuffed the small black box into his carry on.

It is then that I let my eyes flick down to his left hand, and see a thick black titanium band on his left ring finger.

"A black band?" I asked, raising a brow at him in question.

"Yes, I thought it was fitting." He replied.

"Ah. Marking the dark event already?" I teased.

His chuckling response, makes me smile back amused. "No, I wouldn't say dark… though the meaning of the band itself is symbolic. It means protection, strength, and courage." He explains.

Wow. Well, at least he doesn't hate me for unintentionally tying him down for the next few months.

I hoped.

"When I lived with the tribe, wearing a silver ring meant different things. I used to wear my mother's ring on a chain, around my neck. It was a silver band, with hearts along the front. I never found it after her death." I murmured sadly.

Just as he was about to respond, a woman on the intercom called for our flight to board.

She looked at Edward and winked as we passed her to board the plane.

I slowly walked onto the plane, looked for my seat and plopped down, placing my backpack on my lap. Edward rolled his eyes as he shoved his bag onto the overhead compartment, plopping down on the seat next to mine.

The stewardess gave brief instructions before telling us to have a wonderful and safe flight.

Yeah, easier said than done, lady.

"Can I get you _anything_ from the snack cart?" Another stewardess asked, suggestively, looking at Edward.

Was this woman seriously asking that?

"No, thank you. What about you, love?" He asked, turning to look at me.

"How about a Sprite and some cookies?" I asked.

She looked between us before she dejectedly grabbed a can of Sprite and began to open it.

"Hold it, I don't want any ice." I say before her brightly colored talons could pop the can open.

She rolled her eyes, and hands Edward the can. "I'll take a Coke and some ranch-flavored corn nuts." He said after he handed me my Sprite and Oreo minis.

"Thank you." I replied, sweetly.

As soon as she walks away, we look at each other and snicker at the expression on her face.

God, I just hoped there weren't too many bumps on the road while on this trip.

_Three Hours and Fifty-four minutes later:_

_(Houston, Texas)_

Have you ever fallen asleep only to wake up feeling like your head is full of cotton? Yeah, that is how I feel right now.

"Here, this should help you feel better." He whispered, handing me a bag of food and a cold drink. "Eat." He instructed as he pulled out a white styrofoam box and tore into the large sandwich that was in there.

When I looked into the bag to see a large sandwich and fries staring back at me. "Please tell me you didn't get me a large burger…" I complained, biting my lips.

He stopped eating and turned towards me, "Bacon, cheeseburger, plain." He said, brows furrowed, licking his lips.

How did he know that's how I like my burgers?

Fuck. My stomach growled at the thought. "Thank you." I whispered.

How could he have possibly known, that I wanted a burger like this?


	10. Chapter 10

_Edward's POV:_

_While waiting for his friend at the airport:_

How is it possible to develop feelings for someone you've just met? I can't fathom how it is possible. Yet, here I am, feeling things towards this woman.

Solicitously guarding over her as she slept on my shoulder, while we waited for Justin Gideon. He is the friend who owns the small jet. He also happens to be a retired agent, who happens to own a flourishing small trading and exports company.

Finally after an hour and a half of waiting, I heard a familiar voice calling me. "Cullen!"

"Gideon!" I called back, relieved at the sight of him, accidentally waking up Isabella.

"Is your friend here?" She asked, drowsily.

At the risk of sounding too girly, I'll say she sounded adorable, even with her voice thick with sleep.

"Yes, he is. Come on, we have to go. Just a few more minutes and you can go back to sleep, Isabella." I answered, as she groaned.

I quickly grabbed our bags and pulled her to her feet before making my way towards Gideon.

He takes Bella's bag and then nods before leading us out of the airport.

"So, how long is this flight going to be?" She asked, in a low voice.

"Oh, about ten to twelve hours." Gideon replied, politely.

I looked over at her to find her pouting as we all walked through the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" I heard her ask.

"Austin. That's where the airbase and the jet is located." Gideon informed her as we reached a black Silverado.

"You can sleep on the way, I'll wake you up when we arrive." I promised, helping her climb into the backseat.

"Alright." She said, before letting me shut the door and climbing into the passenger's seat.

She was out like a light, as soon as we got on the freeway.

"What's the deal with you and her?" Gideon asked as soon as she was asleep.

"She's my wife." I replied, looking out the window.

I turned to find him staring at me, wide-eyed. Before he let out a loud chuckle.

Fucker better shut the fuck up before he wakes up Isabella.

"No shit?" He asked, still chuckling at my serious expression. "How did she manage to catch Mr. 'I'll never get married'?" He guffawed.

Keep it up, asshole.

"It sort of just happened." I muttered evasively.

"I'll say." He replied, as he pulled into a parking lot.

"What are we doing here?" I asked confused, as he turned it off.

"Jasper called me earlier too, we're here to pick up a few things I'm supposed to give to you. If you find _anything,_ anything at all. Don't hesitate to call me. I helped everyone get to safety. You'll both be safe with me." He promised, quickly handing me the small manila folder before getting out.

He came back a few moments later with another backpack.

I raised a brow at him in question as he handed it to me as he swiftly got back in and backed out of the parking spot. "What is in this?" I asked him.

"Amo. Weapons..." He said, smiling. "...and Money."

Classic Jasper. Always trying to be prepared. Never unprepared.

"Thanks. For everything I mean…" I whisper as he drove further into Austin.

"It's no problem. Besides I can't wait to tell Gemma, someone's finally caught your attention enough for you to marry them. She's goin' to die when she hears the news." He jeered, laughing again.

When he pulled into the air base, he quickly pulled out a badge and flashed it to the guard at the gate.

A man with salt and pepper hair greeted us as Gideon finally pulled the truck to a stop.

"Stf. Sgt. Jacoby." Gideon greeted, as he hopped out.

"General Gideon." The man replied.

General? Oh, right. This pain in the ass was also in the Air Force before he got the job at the Bureau. How did I forget that?

Probably because he was the head of one of the departments before he retired just two years ago.

"Is everything ready for the flight?" Gideon asked.

"Yes, sir."

I watched as both men quickly grabbed all of the bags and headed towards the Lear Jet.

I quickly walked back towards the truck and opened the back door to find Isabella curled into herself.

Without wasting time, I unbuckled her and pulled her into my arms.

"Are we in Austin?" She mumbled, sleepily.

"Yes, go back to sleep." I murmured back as she snuggled deeper into my chest.

"Thank you." She mumbled back, a moment later, before she fell asleep again.

I slowly climbed up into the jet, and quickly laid her down on one of the seats, before pulling out a thick afghan and throwing it over her.

"Are we ready to leave?" Gideon asked me a moment later.

I check that all of our bags are here before I nod in response.

"Great. I'll go tell the pilot. Get strapped in." He instructs.

A few minutes later we are airborne.

I make sure Isabella is alright before I sit in the seat next to hers. Minutes later, I too, find myself falling into a tired slumber.


	11. Chapter 11

_Bella's POV:_

Why do I feel so exhausted? I've been sleeping for a while now, yet my body feels as if I've been up for days.

Suddenly a sharp memory juggles my mind, and my mind begins to hurt as I try to reject the memory but it slips through and displays before me.

_"Please, show Edward where the tribe is, it'll help us," _My uncle practically begged.

So, here I was on the way back to the last place I wanted to be… where exactly was _here_ though?

My eyes snap open as I feel a jolt on the surface that I was curled in.

I looked around me in surprise, this isn't the back seat of Edward Cullen's friend, Gideon, 's truck! Where the hell am I now?

"Isabella?"

I jump a foot in the air as Gideon suddenly appears. "Er, yes?" I replied, searching for Edward, and coming up empty handed. Where was he?

"He's in the bathroom. He'll be back soon. In the meantime, would you like anything to drink? Some chips, or peanuts perhaps?" He asked.

"Some water or juice would be fine, thank you." I responded, looking out towards the darkened night sky.

How much time had passed?

"I'll be right back with that, sit tight." He said, disappearing to the back.

Once alone, my mind goes back to the last time I had ever been on any type of aircraft.

A few hours after my parents were murdered. My uncle had reached my destination, and hopelessly been unable to console me out of my catatonic state.

I snapped out of it when I saw my Aunt Linda, and her tear-stained eyes.

I pushed back the memories that threatened to choke me, but no matter what I tried, the images from my mind refused to leave me alone.

Even as the memories clouded my mind, I was painfully aware that someone was approaching me.

"Isabella? What's wrong?"

The last thing that pops into my mind is my aunt Linda's pained expression, once more, before I get pulled back into the present.

Edward is kneeling in front of me, with a worried expression on his face. "Are you alright?" He asked, as I ran my hands through my hair.

I stared at him, confused. "Why *cough* why wouldn't I be?" I asked, thickly.

"Well, for one, you're pale…" He pointed out.

"My mother was part albino." I deadpanned.

He looked at me amused as I stared back at him with an expressionless face, causing him to look down and clear his throat. "Sorry, that was not funny." He said, embarrassed.

"It's alright. No one can keep a straight face when I say that." I shrug, patting his shoulder.

"Why were you shaking so badly?" He asked.

"I sometimes relive old memories when I fall asleep…it happens every now and then, I'll be alright soon, don't worry about it." I say, as I grab a napkin and dab the last few traces of sweat and tears from my face.

"Isabella—"

"It's Bella. I prefer to be called Bella." I cut him off, nervously.

"Bella. Alright. I guess if that makes you more comfortable, I can call you that. Only if you call me Edward." He says, licking his lips.

The way he said my name, made my skin ripple in goosebumps. So, low and smooth, velvety. Briefly reminding me of the texture of a piece of luscious chocolate.

"What no, Ed, Eddy, or Ed man?" I teased.

"Only if you want to." He smirked back in response.

We smiled at each other before Gideon's voice interrupted us. "The pilot has informed me that there will be a bit of turbulence up ahead. Strap in." He instructed, as he handed me a grapefruit soda and saltines. "Sorry, it was all I managed to get my hands on before the pilot spoke to me." He said apologetically before he went to sit down and strap himself in just before the cabin began to shake violently.

I gasped, clutching onto the sides of my seat. Shutting my eyes tightly. I could feel as my chest began to tighten and my skin break out in cool perspiration when suddenly a warm hand engulfed my hand.

"It's ok. It's almost over." He whispered, grabbing me hand into his.

"Thank you." I whispered, clutching his hand tightly into mine.

His responding smile made my stomach tighten, as the jet finally began to tilt and head down to land.

_Twenty Minutes Later:_

As soon as we landed, Edward retrieved our bags and led me out of the jet. I quickly grabbed my bag and jacket and followed him out, to where he led me to a Jeep Wrangler.

He and Gideon exchanged brief words before Gideon went back onto the Jet.

Edward silently climbed into the Jeep and began driving into the night.

I turned to see the Jet still in the port, as we got farther and farther away.

When we finally do stop it's at a motel.

It seems to be the only empty place on the edge of town.

"Stay here, I'll go check-in and come back for the things." He said handing me a Beretta. "Use it if you need to." He instructed, as he got out, locking the door behind himself.

_Ten Minutes Later:_

I stiffly walk into the room, muscles rigid and aching. Head throbbing.

There's a small hallway by the doorway before the room opens up. I slowly take in the room, dropping my bags on the chair placed in the corner. I note happily that there are two beds in the room.

"Did you want to take a shower before bed?" He asks, quietly.

"That sounds like heaven." I reply, nodding.

"The bathroom is through there." He says pointing at the door set next to the television.

I nod before sitting down and slipping off my jacket, sneakers and socks.

"There are a few things I need to do before bed, so go on and take a shower and I'll take one when you're done." He replied, slipping off his jacket, folding it, before he places it on the back of one of the chairs.

I take a quick shower, dry myself, and pull on a t-shirt and some shorts to sleep in.

The night is warm, there is no need for my flannel pajama bottoms, despite that, I still pull on my cotton socks and head out of the bathroom.

When I walk out, I freeze momentarily, as I notice he has taken off his t-shirt and is wearing a muscle shirt and a pair of silver and black basketball shorts.

He has a well defined, muscular body, he's fit. Impressively so. Broad shoulders, and a tattoo that's half-hidden under the thin material of his muscle shirt, and goes down to his left wrist.

I can't seem to peel my eyes from the gradient Celtic design, interweaving into the next design, a rose and vines, then ending with a wolf, looking like it's growling. All the muscles and veins on his arms and hands protruding out.

I could almost feel the drool forming in the corner of my mouth.

In my twenty-eight year's living, I had never seen a man with such a physique...and I had seen plenty of physiques, especially when I worked in the community clinic back in Horus Ville.

I clear my throat twice before gaining the ability to speak. "The bathroom is ready," I mutter, keeping my head down, hoping to hide my blush as I throw myself onto the first bed and crawl all the way to the end, before pulling blankets over me.


	12. Chapter 12

_Edward's POV:_

Fuck! Just what exactly happened to Charles Swan and Renata Vancanti? There were too many holes in the description of the scene of the crime.

Who even found them? Why was Bella with them and not the tribe? Why were they the only ones killed?

Was it a case of 'wrong place at the wrong time' or were they slaughtered before their daughter for an ulterior motive? Or did they die trying to protect their daughter?

I call Jasper to see how everyone is… and to inform him of what Aro had done. Fucker laughed his ass off when I told him. My pixie of a sister then snatched the phone away from Jazz and began pestering me. So I hung up.

Now, I am expecting a call from my overdramatic mother. Funny thing, is she won't be able to reach me for a while, after tonight, we go off the grid.

No more calls, or contacting them unless it's absolutely necessary.

When I am done using the phone I crush it with the sole of my boot and turn off one of the laps to make the room darker. Then proceeded to pull off my shoes and socks followed by my shirt and pants before putting on a muscle shirt and some basketball shorts, quickly stuffing the clothes into my bag.

When I am finished, I look out the window to check for any abnormalities outside of the motel.

Falvio, the motel manager informed me earlier, that nights were usually quietly around here, with an occasional couple checking in for some shady rendezvous.

Everything seemed fine. So, I sat down and stared down at the maps, and possible trails Aro had provided me with.

"The bathroom is ready." Bella says as she walks out in a navy blue tshirt, no bra, and a pair of shorts that hit the top of her thighs, showing off the smooth creamy skin on her legs. I even notice the dark pair of socks on her tiny feet.

It makes me wonder if her size is close to a size four or five. I will make a note to check that out later.

All thoughts go out the window, when I see her attire, I bite down onto my lip to hold back the groan that threatens to leave my lips, and stand up grabbing a pair of boxers before rushing into the bathroom for a shower.

After a _very_ cold shower, and some time to clear my head. I walk out of the bathroom and sit back in the chair by the window with the small lamp lit. I begin scanning the maps and trails once more, hoping to decide which trail we should begin looking at in the morning.

"Those aren't going to help at all, you know." I heard Bella call from one of the beds.

Fuck. She's still awake.

"How would you know?" I asked, scowling at her and then at the maps on the small table.

"Erhm… well for one, those trails all lead to different tribes… leading towards the Pantanal Wetlands...you're going to end up in the wrong tribe or get lost for days." She states, matter of factly.

"Wrong way?" I ask looking down at the map, and looking back up at her quickly.

When did she see these?

_'Probably during your cold shower.'_ My conscience snarked.

In my moment of daze, I didn't notice her climb off of the bed, which is good because she unintentionally flashed me earlier, giving me a nice view of her round creamy posterior.

"Yes. You're heading _southeast_. The tribe is located _northeast_. Just past this river here." She said, pointing to the map.

Damn, Aro was right. I _really_ do need her here.

"How do you know all of this?" I asked her amazed.

" I grew up here. I might have left but my heart never fully left." She shrugged sadly, before heading to bed.

I avert my gaze, looking back down to the map before sighing and putting it away, and heading to the empty bed.

I'm unconscious as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I wake up sometime later to a small whimper coming from the other bed, my eyes snap open as I quickly take in the scene before me.

Bella is curled into a fetal position, and she is shaking uncontrollably.

"Bella?" I call, to see if she is asleep or awake.

She whimpers again, pulling the blanket tighter around her. Fuck! She must be having a bad dream.

I quickly throw the blankets off of me and slowly try to wake her up by shaking her only for her to start thrashing around on the bed, and lift up her dainty little foot to connect with my nuts.

"Ah. Fuck!" I groan, cupping myself just as her foot lifts up and connect once more with my nuts, this time a small squeak escaping my lips.

I look at her, frowning before I pull the blankets off and shake her shoulders gently.

"Bella, wake up!" I call, straining from the pain.

I'm debating whether or not to slap her lightly when a small gasp leaves her and her eyes widen when they meet mine.

"What happened?" She asks, frightened.

"You kicked me in the groin twice." I deadpan. "

…not that that matters, you were also having a bad dream…"

"Sorry..." She whispers, flushing.

"It's ok. I'll survive. How are you feeling?" I ask, concerned, even as my groin felt as if it was throbbing painfully, and not in a good way.

She pulls the blanket back to herself before she looks up at me. "I'll be alright." She whispers, tiredly.

"Go back to sleep. It's still early." I reply tiredly, limping back towards my bed.

"When will we be leaving to look for the tribe?" She asks quietly.

"In a few hours. Get some rest." I tell her, as I lay down.

I lay there unable to sleep after that. Worried about this entire situation. Which only made me have more questions about her parents. Just what did Bella witness? Whatever it was, it must have been quite traumatic.

My mind only reeled more as I thought about the situation back at HQ. I realized that I needed answers and to get those I had to find Seth and Logan, that meant I had to put everything to rest and focus on the task at hand.

With a sigh I pushed the blankets off of me once more, grabbed my clothes and went to take yet another shower to begin the day.

Something tells me it's going to be a long day, and I'm not looking forward to it...


	13. The Search Begins

_Bella's POV_:

I woke up to the familiar smell of freshly brewed coffee. The sweet familiar aroma caused me to groan before turning on the bed, on to my stomach.

I peeked through my lashes and found the time on the alarm clock placed on the bedside table saying it was a quarter before four in the morning.

Damn, the earlier we started the earlier we could come back.

With a sigh, I pushed the blankets off of me, rolled off the bed, and pulled out a pair of army green cargo capris, a thin cotton gray T-shirt with a white tank top under that, and a pair of thick cotton socks.

I quickly changed, and drank my coffee, unable to savor it like I want to, before pulling my hair away from my face.

By the time Edward walks back into the room, I'm shoving my feet into my hiking boots.

" G'Mornin'." He said, as he walked towards the table.

"Good morning." I greet him back. "So, where are we going to start?" I asked, sipping my delicious coffee as I stared at him, waiting for a reply.

"Well, I've spent the last two hours searching for hiking gear we failed to bring, luckily, I found a store a few streets over that sells such things, but unfortunately they won't be open for another three hours." He says, taking the other cup and taking a sip from it.

"I see… what exactly are you expecting this to be? It's a forest, you hardly need to climb, anything here. If anything, what you do need is to get a canteen of water, sunscreen, and some food, because that's essential, but that's about it." I said, rolling my eyes at him as I pulled the small backpack onto my lap.

He raises an eyebrow at me in question.

"If you plan on taking your gun, make sure it's not visible, otherwise the tribe, any of the surrounding ones, will see you as a threat and get on the defensive." I inform, eyeing the butt of his gun, which happens to be sticking out of the waistband of his pants.

" I underestimated how observant you truly are." He commented dryly.

I snorted in response, before showing him what I brought with me. "My father's lucky compass." I whispered, showing him the object in my hand.

I watched him tilt his head to the side curiously, and look down at the small gold compass. I could feel his gaze on my wrist, causing my skin to break out in goose pimples, despite the fact that the room was warm from the sun beaming through the window.

" I have a question." I whispered, closing my hand around the compass and lowering it, before slipping it into my pocket.

"Ask away." He replied as he walked over to his bed and plopping down, before he looked up at me expantantly.

I then noticed he too was wearing something similar to what I was, from the thick socks, to the pants.

"How close were you to your friend, the missing one?" I asked, staring out the window.

"We all met in the army. Completed two tours together. Then when we got out a few of us went back to school, we were on our way to a class and we saw a flyer, they were looking for certain things, and I got interested and decided to go. The rest is history as the saying says." He replied shrugging.

"I see.." I replied, trailing off, looking at the time. "Are you ready to go?" I asked suddenly.

"Bella, it's a few hours before everything is opened. We do need to take at least some food for later…" He mumbled dryly.

"The bistro two streets over sells sandwiches and fruit. It opens at half past six. Come on, let's see what they do have so we can start the search. We're wasting valuable daylight." I say, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.

I can hear him grumble something as he gets to his feet and follows me out the door.

When I look back at him I notice he has our bags from last night and a brown leather satchel hanging from his body.

"What are you doing?" I asked as we stopped at the car.

"Always be prepared for a quick get away." He mumbled as he struggled to open the trunk with his key.

I nodded in response, before snatching the keys from him, and quickly shoving the key in, smiling angelically at him as the trunk popped opened.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at me as I watched him unlock and lift the bottom part of the trunk to reveal a hidden compartment next to where the spare wheel does. He shoves both our bags into the small compartment before slamming it closed, and grabbing the glock that was hidden by the lid closure.

"Put this in there. If something happens to me I want you to run and don't look back." he instructs, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to me.

"What's this?" I ask, gulping at his words.

"If something happens to me, call this number and ask for Jasper Whitlock, he'll help you." He says, stepping closer to me.

"Edward, you're starting to scare me." I whisper, feeling sweat gather on the nape of my neck, though that could be due to the warm weather we are experiencing.

"I'm not trying to. I'm just being honest with you. I need to prepare you, in case of an emergency." He says.

"Nothing is going to happen." I say fiercely, looking down at my boots, trying to keep the sudden panic and fear I feel away.

"Bella, no. Look at me." He says, though I hear him far away. "_Look at me._" He says again, firmly, this time pulling my chin up to make me look at him. "Nothing will happen, I promise. I just need you to be prepared in case something does." He says, in a low tone.

His tone of voice briefly reminding me of hot melted chocolate, smooth and dare I say, sweet?

I nod, feeling dazed, as I stare up at his deep-sea green orbs.

When he turns around to lock the compartment and the trunk, I let out a small breath and fan myself before he turns back around.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks me.

I nod, dumbly, and begin to follow him as he walks across the parking lot.

We don't speak again until we arrive at the small bistro. I can feel my mouth begin to water as the smell of chocolate wafting through the air hits my nose.

Damn the cocoa bean and my weakness for it!

We quickly buy a few sandwiches, fruit, water and juices before we walk back in the direction of the Motel.

"Wait here, I'm going to speak to Falvio, I'll be back shortly." He instructs as we reach the outside of the building.

I nod in response, turning to look at the woodland area across the street from the motel, or more specifically at the familiar sign which happened to be in Portuguese.

'_Cuidado com o perigo_' Or Danger Beware.

Without thinking I slowly began walking towards the woodlands, into the familiar path leading into the thicker greenery. I could feel the relief of familiarity as I walked deeper into the trees , marveling at nature's beauty.

I let out a small gasp as I reached the small babbling brooke.

"I thought I told you to wait outside?" I heard someone say, behind me.

I gasped jumping up in surprise as he chuckled at my response.

" What the hell is wrong with you?!" I gasped, pressing a hand onto my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart.

"Me? What about you? I asked you to wait for me…why did you do that? What if something had happened to you?" He asked, towering over me.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled, my eyes tearing up.

He sighed, "No, I'm the one who would be sorry, for yelling at you.. it's just...being away from you… It made me anxious." He explained.

I stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to respond. How can he get anxious if he doesn't see me? I was fine. I gave up trying to decipher what he meant and gestured for him to follow me.

"Come on, we are wasting valuable daylight…" I mutter, shaking the confusion out of my head and walking toward the rocks that were placed along the brooke.


	14. Trouble

Edward's PoV:

Fuck! Why the hell did I tell her that? Now she feels uncomfortable with me.

As soon as the words slipped through my lips, I saw each emotion play out across her face, first disbelief, then confusion.

She didn't believe me, and I could feel disappointment begin to bloom within my best as she shrugged off my words.

My mind reeled as she slowly led me towards the rocks that were propped within the river, she walked steadily on the river bank, occasionally sighing in content as she looked around the thick trees, and plants.

"How much further into the woods is the tribe located?" I asked after we crossed over the small brooke.

She sighed, looking around for a moment, and took out her compass before answering. " Since we just passed the small brooke, we are about to start heading northeast towards the bigger river, once we pass that river, then five or so miles in, it should be located past a large boulder and some camu camu and passion fruit trees." She replied, blowing a raspberry as she began moving in a different direction.

I silently followed her as she led the way, my eyes flickering up toward the sky, noticing that it was slightly overhead.

She sighed, stopping for a drink of water before looking back at me. " How are you doing back there?" She asked, slightly breathless.

I nod in response, placing my hand on her shoulder as she began to walk again . "Maybe we should stop here and grab a bite to eat before continuing. It's already half past twelve. If we are going to continue walking, we need to have some energy to do so. Let's eat here." I suggested, gesturing towards the small boulders that were propped near the river.

I silently followed her, my eyes scanning our surroundings and looking for anything suspicious, any sign of danger.

We had just jumped past the river, I noticed the sudden quietness that fell around us, not even the sound of the river flowing could be heard after we walked deeper into the foliage.

Suddenly the sound of something cracking and falling was heard.

I quickly pushed Bella out of the way, cringing in response when I heard the air leave her in a strained 'oomph'.

"Are you alright?" I asked as she shook her head slowly, her eyes closed tightly .

"Hm?" She replied.

"Bella? Bella, are you alright?" I ask, checking to make sure she didn't have any type of injury.

Though I did see here back connect harshly into the fruit tree's jagged bark. I briefly wondered if she cut herself on it when I shoved her out of the way of the trap that was triggered when we walked past deeper into the foliage.

Her eyes suddenly flicked up to my lips, and I couldn't keep mine from flicking down to her full, luscious pink lips. Without giving it a second thought I lower my lips to hers, pressing them lightly to hers. I can feel the atmosphere change between us just as it had last night.

The kiss began to deepen, and I had to stop it before something happened that we'd both regret.

I decided that we covered enough ground today, and decided to head back to the motel just after five thirty.

When we began making our way back, I realized Bella began to stumble more and more as we walked back. Her face looked slightly clammy and pallid, as we slowly began making our way back.

I knew something was wrong when she began to walk stiffly, and would touch her back every now and then. When we reached the river once more, I moved my satchel a bit and looked at her. "I'm only going to ask this once. I want you to tell me the truth. Are you hurt?"

She swallowed thickly, wiping the sweat that dewed one her forehead and nape of her neck. "Yes." She whispered.

"Where does it hurt?" I asked stepping around her, to lift up her shirt once to be sidestepped and stopped by a flick of her small wrist.

"It's just below my lower back. I'll be fine. As soon as we get back to the motel, I'll let you check it out, we have to get out of here..._now_...Someone has been tracking us since we crossed the second river bank. They used rope so I know it's not one of the tribes, since they usually use vines or tree roots." She whispered to me, urgently.

I looked at her and back the way we had just walked back from, "How do you know for sure?" I whispered, tensely.

"Edward, I can feel someone else's presence here. I know because I have a sixth sense about these things." She whispered urgently.

I nod, and don't think twice before I pick her up and throw her onto my back. She is light compared to the tactical backpacks we used to carry on the fifty mile hikes we used to endure.

I feel her wrap her arms around my neck and her toned legs around my waist tightly.

"You better hang on tight, spider monkey." I mutter as I quickly fling myself onto the boulders we used to cross earlier.

Causing her to giggle slightly, as I began to make the five mile hike to the small brooke in no time, feeling Bella's breath on my neck as I trot forward, using the small rocks that stick out of the water to stabilize myself as I hop across.

it's about half a mile to reach the road, as I do I can feel my muscles begin to protest as I slowly make my way toward the car and retrieve our bags.

I ignore Falvio's questioning gaze as I walk past him towards the direction of our room.

When I reach the door, Bella reaches over my shoulder to unlock the door and push it open.

"My, my soldier, I've never seen a man move quite so fast. I take it you're used to these types of situations?" She asks, impressed.

"It's part of the job description, ma'am. Among other things…" I reply cryptically as I walk over to the window, scanning all the shadows and foliage once more for what I missed earlier.

"You're not going to find them if you're looking for the obvious. They're already in the hotel. Checked in right after we did. Have been following us since we got here." She says, causing a chill to run up my spine as she spoke.

"How could you possibly- " I ask, staring at her surprised.

Only to find her smirking at me in response.


	15. Unexpected

I stared back at him, almost amused at his flabbergasted expression. Who does he take me for? I'm not _that_ daft am I? I'm pretty sure even the simplest simpleton can feel when danger is near. By the look in his face I can tell he is waiting for a proper response, so I decide now would be the best thing to inform him of my true connection to Aro.

"Edward, Aro is _my_ uncle, you can't have contact with that man and not expect anything of his to rub off on you." I say, rolling my eyes at him while going to lay back but shot straight when I feel a sharp pain begin in my back.

He sees my sudden reaction and quickly rushes to my side. "Here…" He says, showing me the first aid kit, where did he pull that from?

He helps pull off my long sleeve shirt, and then helps me lay on my stomach. I lay my head down on my arms, occasionally having to bite down on my fingers to keep from crying out. As it turns out, not only did the bark cut me, it also gave me a handful of splinters.

"I'm almost done." He whispers, as he pulls out a particularly painful one on the left side of my lower back, causing me to cry out in pain. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, I've had worse." I murmured, pressing my clammy forehead onto my forearm.

As I remember when I fell from my second story window when I was sixteen years old and only broke my ankle from the fall, surprisingly.

"I think I got them all out..". He says, spraying some antibiotic spray on the cuts.

"Thank you for that," I sigh in relief, closing my eyes as the pain lessened.

I must have fallen asleep because next thing I know I woke up to a dimly lit room.

"What's wrong?" He whispered, from his seat next to the window

"Nothing… I'm just tired..." I whispered.

He nodded, as he looked back out the window.

"Are you tired?" He asked, peeking past the drapes, and into the dark of the night.

"Just a bit." I murmur, stretching on the bed, noticing that a blanket was now on me.

I could feel him worriedly staring at me, causing my skin to heat up under his gaze, so I quickly looked toward my bare feet, sibling my toes a bit.

"I'm going to go take a quick shower. I'll be right back." I whispered, quickly rolling off the bed before walking to my bag and gathering my clothes into my arms along with my towel.

I looked back towards him, watching him as he stared out the window.

The shower lasted longer than I thought it would. I lost track of time the moment the hot water hit my muscles.

After the day I had, I only wanted to go back home.

Why hadn't Uncle Aaron told me about the tribe honoring my parents by setting up a memorial for them?

I almost passed out when Edward accidentally triggered one of the unexpected traps, causing him to smash me into a tree and out of harm's way.

It was then that our eyes met, him concerned, and me? Shocked as hell when my back hit the jagged bark. As I stared up into his mesmerizing eyes, I bit my lip, nervously.

Suddenly, I saw as his eyes looked down to my lips, then briefly flickered back to my eyes before he lowered his lips to meet mine.

The kiss itself is sweet, and tender then grows into heated and passionate.

I felt as if my entire body incinerated, as his lips moved against mine. I could feel the heat from my head to my toes, including the stirring in my belly and an increase of pressure between my legs.

A knock startles me out of my daydreaming, and I note that the bathroom was full of steam.

I quickly finish rinsing off the soap from my hair and body before grabbing a towel to step out of the shower.

As I step out of the shower, the door slams open and Edward rushes in with his gun drawn.

"Ahhh!!!" I scream in surprise trying to cover myself as much as possible. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" I shout at him throwing the towel at him as I quickly attempt to get dressed.

"I'm sorry! When you didn't respond I thought something might've happened to you!" He rushed out.

"I told you I was going to shower you, idiot!" I scream gathering my dirty clothes and pushing past him.

"It's not like I saw anything…" he muttered, looking uncomfortable.

I scowl at him and throw another towel at his head, before proceeding to grab my dirty clothes and stuff them in a large zip lock bag before throwing it in my bag, angrily.

"I'm sorry. I swear, I didn't think that through. Nice tattoo by the way." He teased, coughing to hide his amusement, causing me to gasp horrified.

"Edward!" I squeaked, as both my hands went to my back.

"I'll just— go take a shower…" he said, grabbing his things before walking into the bathroom and shutting the splintered door behind himself.

Moments later I found myself having to go to the bathroom, badly. So, without thinking about it I rushed through the door and towards the toilet.

As soon as I finished I felt my eyes widen at the sight before me.

Standing there under the hot, steaming spray was Edward in all is naked glory. My eyes shouldn't be looking but they stay glued to his broad shoulders, and then travel down to his round behind.

When I blink again, I feel my face begin to heat up.

I quickly tried to get out as quickly as possible, but when I started washing my hands and he let out a surprised howl, I quickly scramble to get out but it was too late, as I turned to get out of the door, I made eye contact with Edward.

"Did you enjoy the show?" He asked, standing in the shower with a white towel, and a smirk plastered on his face.

I blushed in response and rushed back into the room, slamming the door behind myself.

Sweet baby Jesus, what a body!


	16. Ch16 Complications

_Edward POV:_

I didn't mean to barge into the bathroom like that, while Bella was taking a shower, honest.

I _did_ knock. Four times, in fact.

Honestly, I didn't want to barge into the steamy bathroom like that, but I realized we were in more danger than before. Fuck! I was losing my touch. When did I become so unobservant? This had never happened before. This is either really good or really bad, bad enough to get us killed.

As soon as I was dressed I debated whether or not it was safe to walk back into the room, what with me being more scared to face her, and all.

Frankly, I didn't think we had a lot of time before the men I saw following us burst through those doors, as I walked back in the room I noticed Bella sitting stiffly on one of the beds. Her back must be bothering her again.

"Put some pants on," I muttered as I pulled on my socks and shoved my feet back into the boots.

"What? Why? Is something wrong?" She asked, instantly on alert.

"I'll explain everything once we get to safety," I say, as I watch her pull on a pair of pants on and a hoodie over her head.

We both quickly shoved everything into our bags before grabbing them.

"I'm going to check if the coast is clear. When I give you the signal, you follow me out. Do you still have the gun I gave you earlier?" I asked her.

She nodded, biting her lower lip nervously. Briefly distracting me.

"Good. Remember to aim to kill." I whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead before I slowly opened the door.

As I opened the door, I slowly leaned my head out into the hallway noticing that two unfamiliar shadows were slowly making their way up the stairs. I quickly pulled Bella out of the room and quietly shut the door behind us, before pulling her towards the opposite end of the hallway, where another set of stairs were located to the ground floor.

As we reached the lobby I slammed the room key on the desk, probably scaring the crap out of heavily sleep-deprived Flavio, and pulled Bella out of the lobby and across the parking lot.

I quickly unlocked the car for Bella, before I shoved all of the bags into the trunk and threw myself into the driver's seat, turning the car on and throwing it into drive before peeling out of the parking lot.

"Is there another way to get to the tribe's land?" I asked stiffly as I peeled down the empty roads trying to remember the street where the safe house was located.

"Yes, but I'm not entirely sure, you'll want to go that way." She replied quietly.

My eyes flicked towards her, worried for a moment.

"It's in Belem." She muttered.

"What! That's on the other side of this country! How the fuck are we going to get there now?!" I exclaimed, wincing as my voice echoed in the car.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mention it before because I didn't think we'd have trouble here in Sao Paulo, but if we go through Belem, we have to ask permission and guidance from the tribe that resides there. I-I didn't think of this until earlier..." She whispered.

I nodded, as I drove through the empty streets looking for another car.

I finally found one, forty-five minutes later, it was a Jeep. Perfect, to get us here we need to go.

The safe house was forty miles down, in a secluded area. I had to change cars to make sure if any one was tailing us, we'd be lost to them.

As soon as Bella is safely in the passenger's seat, I go and get our things and shove them into the back seat.

It takes me a few seconds to turn the car in before we're speeding down the partially empty street towards our next destination.

I just hope this went a lot smoother than it went here.

It probably will if I stop with the weird shit. Hopefully...


	17. Porto Seguro ch 17

I stay quiet for the rest of the ride, unsure of what to say, or unsure if I _even_ wanted to say anything.

I should be weirded out at all the shit Edward is telling me, but oddly enough, I felt pleased.

Why? I didn't know.

It's been a while since anyone besides Mr. Mrs. Cope cared about me. Even longer since I felt any form of affection towards anyone but them.

It was a weird feeling to have. Confusing, even.

The entire ride to the hideout was quiet.

I didn't even notice that he had suddenly veered into an unmarked road, and when we finally pulled up to a secluded, remote area, he told me to get down and parked the jeep in front of some trees, the darkness concealing it, along with the plants on the road.

"Where are we?" I asked, confused.

"Safety." He whispered, shutting off the engine, before turning to get our bags.

I climbed out, shivering slightly at the cool wind, before looking at him. "So, what now? I mean, there is clearly nothing here… are we sleeping in the woods…?" I mumbled, tiredly.

He wordlessly walked towards one of the trees and stretched out his hand and pressed something hidden along the tree's bark.

A small muffled click was heard before the illusion of thick foliage disappeared and a wide cemented path appeared before us, leading us deeper into the foliage.

As we begin walking into the path I hear a click and something slam shut behind us, causing me to jump a foot into the air, before clutching at Edward's arm tightly.

"What—_gulp_— the fuck was that?!" I squealed as a creek was heard, and this time I actually dove for him. Leaping onto him and clutching on for dear life.

He chuckled in respons, and dropped the bags just to catch me. "Bella, love, that was just the doors closing and locks engaging…" he whispered as I clutched onto him.

His body heat soothed my sudden irrational fear, and sent other reactions to different parts of my body… and for the life of me, I couldn't decide what to think or feel.

He simply started walking again, down the long path, stopping shortly after a while. "We're here." He whispered, slowly setting me down on my feet.

Once he did, he slowly turned and walked back the way we came from, returning back a few moments later with our bags in his arms.

After he reached my side, he silently inclined his head, silently telling me to follow him.

I silently walked behind him, zoning in and out of the present as we walked through the dimly lit walkway.

When he finally stopped at a small looking cabin, he looked down at me before inclining his head towards the cabin.

"This is _Porto Seguro_." He says.

Safe Haven. How fitting...

It looks nothing like I imagined. This is no cabin, it a fucking house. In the middle of nowhere. Who the hell would build a house in the middle of nowhere?

Edward smiled at the dumb shocked expression that was on my face as he slowly pulled me up the stairs, and bent down to pick a stone, showing it to me to reveal the key that was stuck under it.

After unlocking all three locks bolts before pulling me and the stuff through the door.

As soon as we stepped foot inside the door slammed shut behind us, and the entire house lit up.

It was definitely completely different than it looked from the outside. Or rather the entrance.

It was a wide-open space, with a small couch, with a small window above it.

As he led me down the hallway, he showed me the different rooms that we passed them.

The kitchen was small and had a homey feeling even my own kitchen didn't have. Even the bedrooms had the same homey feel to them.

The cabin-slash-house had a quaint feel to it. Making me miss things I thought I'd never longed for after my parents died.

I almost wanted to cry at the thought of it.

Edward let me have the big bedroom, which had a small ensuite added to it.

As soon as he left me alone, I pulled off my shoes and sweater before I climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over myself as I did.

The last thing I remember thinking is if I would ever be safe again and if I would ever find happiness.

I woke up a few hours later, feeling as if I am being watched. My automatic reaction is to get out of bed and out of the room.

As I open the door and rush out of it I slam into a warm, hard wall.

"Good morning?" I mutter, embarrassed.

"G' mornin'" he groaned,

"Are we alone here?" I asked, in a whisper after I realized I was still sitting on top of him and quickly rolled off of him.

"Yes, why?" He asked, quickly sitting up, alert.

"Because I feel like I am being watched…" I answered, biting my lip, before looking at him.

He nodded, before kissing my forehead and walking into my room. He searched everything before coming back out.

"I didn't find anything, but just in case _there is_ something out there, why don't you sleep on the bed in my room, and I'll sleep on the floor." He offered.

Was he serious?


	18. Tensions Ch 18

_Bella's POV:_

'_Was he serious? Should I be offended that he doesn't want to sleep in the same bed as me?_ ' I could only blush in response to what he had just said, only managing to stare at him like an utter moron.

"I think you miss understood me." He finally said, biting his lip as he tried to hide his amusement from me.

"Oh? How so? Did you not just offer to sleep in the same room as me, but not on the same bed?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but only because I don't want you feeling uncomfortable…" he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Edward, it's fine. I think we can manage to work something out… you don't need to sleep on the floor, you know." I replied, blushing as I walked back in the room to change out of my pajamas.

"If you're sure…" he says as I close the door.

The rest of the morning, we spent it looking through the maps and figuring out how we were supposed to leave this place without being found or followed.

The house was surprisingly stocked with some essentials. There were clean towels, toilet paper, and new packages of toothpaste and brushes in the bathroom.

The kitchen had fresh food in it, along with packages of water in it.

"How is this place well-stocked?" I asked, after we had a small breakfast and began cleaning up.

"Someone is hired to keep the place well stocked, and clean." He informed, as I placed the dishes back in the cupboard, while he dried the pans we used.

"Why would you hire someone to keep this place well stocked, doesn't revealing its location to someone defeat the purpose of having a safety house?" I asked, confused.

"Not when it's someone you can trust, Bell." He replied, half smiling.

"That's good to know... I guess it." I said, as we walked back into the small living room and sat down to look at the maps once more.

I was more worried about someone finding this place than I was about what was outside this morning or even how we were going to get out of this place.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He whispered, calling back to the present.

I sighed, wondering if I should tell him what I was thinking or making something up, his inquiring expression made me respond. "If someone does find this place, how are we going to leave without getting caught?" I asked, concerned.

"Well, there are two ways actually, but I am still hoping we can leave without rushing. Either way, I want you to go look in the hall closet, there are large backpacks, like the one I have in there, grab all of your things and put them into one of those bags." He said, looking at me, pleasingly.

I nodded in response, before heading to the closet he pointed to in the hall before heading to the room and grabbing my bags. I unpacked all of my bags and slowly began fixing everything into the massive bag only leaving the small carry on alone before placing it next to the door.

"Alright, I did it. What now? How are you planning to get us out of here without being noticed?" I asked.

"There's a boat that can get us out of here without being noticed." He said, nodding and pointing towards the direction of the kitchen.

I walked slowly towards the kitchen window. True to his word, there was the view of the river again, but no boat. Where was it hidden?

After watching the river's slow movement, I noticed it was nearly lunch time, so I quickly went to the fridge and prepared a small lunch for us to eat and went back to the window to stare at the water's slow movement.

"What's on your mind?" He asked after we sat down to eat.

"Nothing." I whispered, as I began eating my food.

"Are you sure?" He asked me, concerned now.

I nodded, in response. How do I tell him that this place reminded me so much of my parents and my childhood with them? It's not something I wanted to talk about, at least not now.If ever.

When we finished eating I quickly washed the dishes and continued to stare out the window. I truly had missed being out in the wilderness, nothing compared to it. I hadn't noticed how much time had already passed until I looked out the window and noticed the sun on the right side of the sky. Well shit, the day flew by in the blink of an eye.

I hadn't noticed that Edward was waiting for me to move.

When I did, I almost screamed as I turned around and found him sitting there on one of the stools looking at me. "What the hell are you doing?!" I gasped in surprise.

"I was worried about you, you were too quiet earlier." He explained, standing up, and walking towards me before leaning on the refrigerator.

"It's nothing, really." I reply, stepping around him and heading towards the room.

Once I reach the room, I change into a pair of black shorts and a white tank top. I'm sitting on the bed as I hear him walk into the room, already in a pair of jersey shorts and a white tank top. "So, what are the sleeping arrangements going to be?" He asked as he walked in.

"It's a wide bed, Edward. We can both sleep on it without anything happening." I said, pulling on my socks so I wouldn't be cold in the middle of the night.

"Are you sure?" He asked, concerned.

I sighed before nodding in response one more, and moving to pull the blankets down.

Ever so slowly I pulled back the covers and began placing some of the pillows in the middle of the bed before climbing in. We both say goodnight before pulling the covers onto us.

A short time later, I can feel as my whole body becomes a livewire.

The room feels too hot, and my body is beginning to get a small layer of dewy perspiration on it as I toss and turn.The third time I turned on the bed I couldn't take it anymore, I needed something. Air, a cold shower, some water. Something to get me out of the room.

So, I decided to get a glass of water.

As quietly as possible, I got out of the bed and walked out of the room before heading towards the kitchen to have myself a glass of water.

I sat on one of the stools, and slowly drank the ice cold water, allowing the refreshing temperature of the room to cool my overheated skin.

"I thought you'd be out here."

I accidentally spilled water on my chest as I heard his voice speak suddenly, surprising the hell out of me. "Why the hell are you always surprising the hell out of me?" I ask, trying to wipe the water off of my neck and chin.

"Sorry. I felt when you left, I was worried something happened to you when you didn't come back." He explained, walking closer to me.

"Oh, I was just drinking water. It's a little hot in the room, I couldn't sleep." I explained hopping off the stool and walking back towards the room again, sidestepping him as I did.

I hadn't noticed he had taken off his tank top when he surprised me in the kitchen, but I did notice as soon as he walked back into the room right after me, and I got on the bed.

_Zing_.

I felt a hot, electric feeling through my body as I stared at him. It caught me completely off guard.

It felt as if my entire body became a livewire once more. A fire that seemed be lit, and has suddenly become untamable.

I could feel the atmosphere in the room thicken to the point where it was palpable.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned as he clicked a button on the right wall.

I shook my head to bring it out of my entranced state and answer him, simultaneously.

"I don't believe you." He says, smiling amused as he walked over to the bed and got in.

"Why the hell not?" I asked, laying back.

"Two reasons, really. One, you've been quieter than you've been this past week alone. Two, you're jumpier than normal." He says, turning onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow to stare at me.

I sigh, turning my back towards him. We've known each other for a week, how did he possibly know something is wrong with me?

"Bella," He whispered, as he pulled me back to look at him. "tell me what's wrong…" he whispered, moving the pillows to get a closer look at me.

"Nothing is wrong. Why do you keep assuming that something is wrong?" I asked annoyed as I stared up at him.

Is it possible to get feelings for someone you met not one week ago? It seemed this man could read me better than my aunt could when she was alive. Even if I wanted to lie to him, it felt as though he could see right through whatever façade I put up.

"Well, if I'm being honest, you seem really agitated, and keep snapping at me every chance you get. Normally, I just chuck this as a PMS because my sisters used to bitch at me too during their days but I have a feeling this isn't a PMS. Not with you, anyway." He said, smiling amused at me.

I frowned at him, PMS? Was I honestly being that bitchy? I thought I was avoiding him?

I realized he was joking with me as soon as he started laughing at my angry expression. So, I did the only logical thing I could think of and smacked him. With a fluffy pillow to the face.

His amusement quickly changed to shock after my pillow met his face. Two times. "Not so amusing now, is it, jackass?" I mutter, hitting him again, then laughing at how much his eyes widened.

I gasped in surprise as he suddenly rolled over me, holding his weight on forearms, as his sculpted muscular body covered mine.

"Not so funny now, is it, Miss.Swan?" He asked, as he leaned over me, a mere inches from my face.

"No…" I squeaked, wiggling under him.

"Now, are you going to talk like an adult or do I need to treat you like a misbehaving child?" He asked, his mesmerizing eyes gleaming in amusement.

'_Oh, please do…' _I think, licking and biting my lower lip.

I bit my lower lip in mortification as I silently stared back at him.

His amusement suddenly changed to something else. Something thick, and carnal.

The electricity was back, making the air between us thicker than ever before.

I could feel his eyes on my lips as I wiggled once more under his body.

I closed my eyes, feeling as my breath started to react to his being pressed against mine. It felt good.

"Is it alright if I kiss you?" He whispered, a few inches above my lips.

I nodded in response, as my eyes unconsciously flicked to his lips.

The moment his lips met mine, I felt the works. Fireworks. Butterflies in my belly. Time at a stand still. Everything.

His lips molded into mine, softly nipping at my bottom lip, before I felt the tip of his tongue peek out, silently asking for entrance.

I was lost in the sensation of his hands slowly trailing down my thigh before wrapping his fingers around it, and wrapping it around him.

I was guarded at first, but then I relaxed into the kiss, and allowed my hands to roam. Tracing his chest, and broad shoulders before my fingers found their way into his hair.

As his tongue finally slipped into my mouth, I let out a deep moan that echoed from the walls.

I had never been kissed like this before. So lovingly, tender, heck even with Jordy, I failed to feel half of what I feel now.

I could feel as his lips suddenly began trailing along my jaw, and then my neck, until his lips reached my shoulder.

Before he went back and traced the chain around my neck with his tongue...

...and then shots began to ring out through the night.


	19. Evading Danger Ch19

I automatically sit up on the bed, pushing off Edward in the process, landing him on the ground.

"Grab your shoes, and things and meet me in the kitchen…" he whispered, as he got to his feet.

I nod and wordlessly run towards the room where I placed my things, shoving my feet into my boots before grabbing my sweater and bulky backpack before rushing to the kitchen.

When I reach the kitchen, Edward is standing by the refrigerator, tapping his fingers on something before a small hiss is heard and he turns and gestures for me to go.

I take a breath in before hopping down into what seems like a hole in the ground. As soon as I fall through I land on the deck of a small boat.

I feel Edward land beside me before he pulls something and another hiss is heard.

He quickly yanks me to my feet before pulling me into the door and down the stairs.

"Stay _here_. I'll get us to safety, and come get you when the coast is clear." He says as he shoves off his backpack, and heads back up the stairs.

As soon as he rushes out of the room, I curl myself into the corner of the wide room. Noticing there is a large bed in the middle of the room, along with a door, which seems to be a bathroom.

I feel a sharp tug as we begin to move quickly through the body of water, along with a small hum of the engine. I pull out the gun Edward left with me, and aim for the door.

Hours later, I see as the sun begins to shine through one of the windows, and still no Edward.

After waiting another fifteen minutes, I slowly get up and stretch before trying to silently head up the stairs towards the cockpit.

I walk through the boat that now looks bigger than before, and find Edward leaning heavily against the helm of the boat.

As I reach the helm, I almost want to scream at the horrifying sight. Edward has a small wound on his shoulder that has bled through his shirt.

"Oh my goodness, what happened to you?!" I asked, rushing to his side, and pulling his shirt away from his skin.

"I got hit with a stray bullet." He grits out, as he steers the boat through the river.

I quickly head back to my backpack, and quickly pull out the large red bag, which I always carry full of first aid essentials and medical equipment in case of emergency, before rushing back up the stairs.

Edward eyes me warily as I rush back into the room, and quickly begin pulling out bandages, rubbing alcohol, medical tweezers and scissors, gauzes, and medical thread.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He asks, wide-eyed.

"Sit down." I order, ignoring his question.

He stares at me like _I'm_ the crazy one, and goes to plop down on the chair in front of me.

I quickly pull on a pair of latex gloves and slowly help him remove his shirt. Ignoring the art that is decorating his arms as I do.

He groans in pain as I finally get the shirt off, then proceed to rub on a numbing agent I had in the bag, before proceeding to shove my index finger into the bullet wound to make sure the bullet was out.

As I move it slowly around I feel as my finger connects to the bullet lodge to the muscle and slowly dislodge it before pulling it out with the tongs.

I move quickly to sterilize the wound after stitching it.

"How do you feel?" I whispered, after I finally finished wrapping it in bandages and staring at him.

"Like I need a fucking drink." He muttered, sagging into the chair.

"Why don't you go and get some rest? I can take over for you, while you sleep…" I whispered.

"No, I'll be alright now, thank you…" he whispered back.

I nodded, as I sterilized my equipment and put away the rest.

It takes me a moment to realize he fell asleep in his chair when I walked back into the room.

I almost wanted to laugh at how cute he looked, but smile and silently put the boat into autopilot, before sitting down in the seat across from his.

I don't realize I fell asleep until I feel someone softly shaking me awake sometime later.

"Bella, hey, Bella...looks like the danger is over. We can go get some rest now.." He whispers.

I blink a few times before I realize where we were now, unsure if I was seeing it correctly, I looked down to my watch.

We had slept away the better part of the day and were now crossing Hetawachi tribal lands. We still needed to pass through the Yatechi and Kionwichi tribal lands.

I checked the navigation system that was placed before the boat, realizing we were close to the Archuagan tribe. A few miles away, in fact.

"What's wrong?" I heard him ask me, as I stood looking towards the horizon.

I had to get a closer look, so I quickly exited the small control room, and walked on the deck searchingly.

"Bella, is something wrong?" He asked me, following me out.

"No," I whispered, staring ahead.

"How long before we reach?" He asks, flinching as he rotated his shoulder.

"I'd say, about three days… two, maybe three, at the most. We've only traveled about a quarter of the way…" I replied, as I watched the sun begin to set. "I think you should go lay down, your shoulder is probably bothering you right about now…" I say, looking back at him.

He sighs, flinching at the action before looking back towards the doorway that led down the stairs. "Call me if you need anything?" He asks.

"I promise." I say, smiling at him in response.

He nods at me before stepping closer, and leaning down to give me a small peck and quickly heading down the stairs to get some rest.

I watch him disappear through the doorway before sighing and touching my lips. "Is it normal to feel like this after only a few kisses?" I whispered to myself, biting my lip and heading back to the control room, smiling widely.

* * *

**_A/N:_****_So sorry I accidentally skipped this chapter._**


	20. Inebriated Chaos

After I walk back into the small space, I go over and collapse into the chair heavily, feeling the day's events finally sink-in.

I was a few miles away from the place I once called home, and I didn't know if I was ready to face those demons yet. I had to though, innocent people's lives were at stake here. I couldn't let someone die just because I wasn't ready to face my harsh past. I had to do it, for Seth and his family, along with Logan.

Somehow knowing that if I faced those demons, they might live happily, made me relax and feel better about the situation.

I just hoped that while saving those people I didn't lose myself in the process.

**_Edward's POV:_**

Fuck! Aro warned me to be extra careful, and since I was dumb enough my to need his warning, we now have a tail!

It's a good thing I destroyed the burn phones I had used earlier. Now, we only need to get to the tribe before we were found once again. I might as well turn off the navigation system the fucking boat had included.

"Shit!" I groaned, as I moved to get up.

That's how they were tracking us!

I hastily got out of the bed and rushed up the stairs towards the control room.

I found Bella sitting in one of the chairs in a trance. Quickly heading towards the system and shutting it off.

"Bella..." I said, quietly shaking her.

She looked slightly pale, with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.

'_What's wrong with her?_' I think, as I hastily walk to her.

I checked to make sure she wasn't hurt, before I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms.

As soon as I have her in my arms, I can feel as she begins to tremble, and lets out a small whimper as she buries her face into my chest.

My first reaction is to step back so I can see her face but she clings harder to me, causing my arms to tighten around her in hope that she'll calm down.

"Bella. Bella, what's wrong, love?" I whisper, as she slowly calms down.

"So many faces. I keep seeing so many faces. Make it stop. Please." She whispers, tearfully.

I stand there, feeling stunned and unsure of what to do.

"Come with me." I whisper after a moment.

She sniffles before taking my hand and letting me lead her back towards the galley.

Once there, I lead her to the bed and push her there before turning and heading back towards one of the corners where I know Aro has a small bar set up in one of the cabinets.

I quickly pull out one of the glasses and serve her a Coke and rum before grabbing my own glass and pouring some whiskey in it, before heading back and handing her the Coke and rum.

She looks at it disgusted before grabbing my whiskey and gulping down half of it.

"What the hell? That was mine!" I complained.

"I don't like rum." She dryly states before downing the rest of my whiskey.

I wrinkle my nose at her, before gulping her drink down and smile when I see her giggle.

"Feeling better?" I asked her.

"A little." She says, snatching the glass from my hands and downing the rest of it. "Now, I do." She says, giving me both glasses.

I scoff at her, before placing the glasses on the small table in the corner and head back to the bed.

"How's the shoulder feeling?" She asked, looking worried for a second.

"Sore." I respond, smiling at the goofy expression that's now on her face. "Have you ever tried alcohol before?" I asked, carefully.

"Surprisingly, no. Nothing besides wine, I mean…woah, this one hits you quicker. Wine sort of sneaks up on you..." She said, her eyes widening, then giggling happily.

Fuck! Why didn't I ask her before giving her something?! Fucking shit, now what do I do?

As if she could read my mind, she smirked at me and got up, heading back to where the alcohol has always been stashed, grabbing the bottle and glasses before coming back to her spot and sitting down contently. "Relax, we're both adults, what's the worst that could happen?" She asked, serving us both a glass of scotch.

Words I'd come to regret the next morning when we both woke up with a splitting headache and in bed together, buck-ass nude.

**_Bella's PoV:_**

Oh, my head!

For once in my life, I was happy to forget about everything and not worry about tomorrow.

Despite the slight throb on my temples, I was feeling comfortable on the mattress.

Tired...but comfortable.

"Aw. Fuck." I heard a masculine voice groan next to me.

I frowned, unwilling for a moment to open my eyes but knew I had to, knowing it was morning.

I sighed, knowing that I'd never go back to sleep now. Stupid biological clock!

"Ow! Fuck. Do we have any painkillers?" I heard him ask.

I opened my eyes only to shut them again, and wincing away from the light. Oh god, it felt as if my eyeballs were about to explode.

"Of course, I— ow! Do…" I groaned as I tried to sit up. Soreness radiating from muscles in my body I didn't know I had.

"Where?" He asked, pained.

"L-left pocket in the bottom, front." I groaned, finally pushing myself into a sitting position.

He was searching through the front pockets of my massive backpack, looking like shit. Somehow, still making a pair of black boxer shorts look absolutely mouthwatering.

I can't help but marvel at the tattoos on his arm and back, I think I am drooling a little as I watched him straighten up.

"Here." He mumbles, as he grabs two water bottles and from the small fridge before he unsteadily made his way towards me.

"Thank you…" I whispered, as we both threw two pills into our mouths before we guzzled down the water.

He gives me a small smile in return, wincing when he shrugs his shoulders, before wincing in pain.

"Does it hurt?" I asked, standing up to check his shoulder.

I noticed the bandages had loosened, and the wound was slightly bleeding again.

I quickly went to my bag and pulled out new gauze and a fresh bandage before quickly heading back to my place.

"No…" He groaned, when I replaced the gauzes and bandages.

"Sure, it doesn't." I teased, as I finished wrapping his shoulder

He was about to respond when the boat suddenly shifted causing me to begin to fall forward, causing him to wrap his hands around my waist to steady me.

"Something is wrong…" he whispered, as we both looked towards the stairs.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_****_Okay, here are a answers few thing you might ask._****_1.) Yes, they did sleep together._****_2.) Yes, they remember._****_3.) No, they won't acknowledge what they did until a fee chapters ahead._****_4.) It's Not Aro who is hunting them down. You'll see who later. Be patient._**


	21. Crossing Tribal Lands Ch 21

We hurriedly pulled our clothes back on, and rushed up the stairs, both of us groaning as the sunlight hit our eyes as we stepped on the cool deck.

As we rushed onto the deck, I gasped as I realized we were nearing the beginning of the first tribe's land. Familiar landmarks now appearing within the thick vegetation.The acaí fruit trees, along with maracujá, and other delicious fruit trees were a clear giveaway of our location.

The Cajuenche tribe, one of many. Then followed the Guataka, before the Halyikwamai, and Icafui before finally getting to the Archuagan tribe.

We were finally about to arrive to my childhood home away from home.

That wasn't what was wrong, however, it seemed the tribe took the unfamiliar boat's arrival as a threat, and were now pointing their arrows, and weapons alike towards us.

"Ca'tu chippa nica, di na cu agua!" One of them yelled.

I replied that my husband and I were only trying to gain access to their water passages, towards the Archuagan tribe.

"Queta anchui, ca te pucha Archuagan pa ye t'cha?"

Again, calmly. I replied that I am an honorary tribal member, and only wished to be granted access before flashing the symbol the tribe gave me long ago, to which they agreed to grant access, releasing us soon after.

"What did they ask?" Edward asked after we finally floated away from the tribe members.

"First, they wanted to know who we were. To which I replied our names in their language and who we were, and where we were headed. Second, they wanted me to prove who I was to which I replied that I was an honorary tribal member of the Archuagan tribe before showing them this…" I calmly replied, as I pulled out the custom medallion I had made a few years ago, to show him.

"Hm. Have you ever considered working for the bureau? You'd be a great asset." He commented teasingly as he steered the boat in the direction I said.

I stared at him in shock before I gained my composure, and placed a cold smile on my lips. "Yeah, I'll fucking join the bureau, when they find my parents' murderer and fucking have them rotting in jail for the rest of their lives." I growled, suddenly needing air. "Or better yet, maybe I _should_ join the bureau, perhaps I can fucking finish the job you assholes couldn't do in practically two decades!" I snap, walking away.

I walked along the deck, until I reached a small bench and sat down, leanin my head back onto the wall, and closing my eyes, while I listened to the water as it moved around the boat.

Suddenly, wishing I was back home in Clearwilde, with my patients at the clinic, rather than here with this gorgeous, clever idiot, who makes me want to deck him and lick him all at once.

I left my eyes closed as I allowed myself to relax, focusing on the sounds of the breeze, and the calming water, briefly remembering why I loved living here as a child so much.

"Did you ever have a dream home as a child?"

I heard him as he sat next to me, on the bench.

"No, I always thought of living somewhere like this. Maybe a cabin in the mountains or a homey place where everyone is so friendly with one another. What about you?" I ask, my mind still thinking of Clearwilde and the wonderful people I had met there.

"Hm. I always wanted to live on a ranch, you know, the ones with a house, that have a white picket fence, and porch swing, and a big red farm on the side… I guess, I always wanted a simple life." He said, shrugging his shoulders as he stared at the water with me

The sigh that escaped through his lips briefly made me wonder if he was tired of the city life.

"Why do you ask?" I muttered, turning to him, curiously.

"Well, because … it must be extremely difficult for you to be here. I just want you to know... that I'm sorry." He says, sympathetically.

"Sorry? Why?" I asked, confused.

"For causing you unnecessary pain, for not comprehending said pain, and for being an ass in general." He explains, giving me a tentative smile.

"I am sorry, too." I say smiling at him, tentatively.

"Why are _you_ sorry?" He asked, confused.

I smiled, biting my cheek before turning to answer him, "Well, I snapped at you. I shouldn't be mad at you when it's not your fault your superiors are incompetent." I explained, laughing at his shocked expression.

"In all honesty, I wasn't even part of the bureau then. I was in middle school back then if I remember correctly." He said, smiling at me.

"That's true." I snorted, rolling my eyes at the cheesy grin his lips were displaying.

"So, how long will it be before we reach the tribal lands?" He asked, curiously.

"We are about four hours away. We will most likely arrive at the tribal ground by sundown." I say, before standing up with a sigh and heading to the bow.

Worry suddenly flickered in me as I watched the boat flow closer and closer towards the Archuagan land. How much had changed while I was away? Would they be able to recognize me? Or had I changed too much?

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the long wait... but sadly, life has gotten really complicated, and just settled down recently.**

**Thank you to those of you still reading, following, reviewing, and supporting me.**

** Love ya lots,**

**Izzy**


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